THE FUNDAMENTALS
OF RELIGION
QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS
SADIQUE AL-SAA’DY
TRANSLATED BY
M.A.AL-MALAIKA
The Book identity
Name: the Fundamentals of the Religion, Questions
and Answers.
The author: Sadique Al-Saa’dy
Translator: M.A. Al-Malaika
Publisher: Imam Ali foundation, Qom Iran.
House print: Starah.
Year: 2oo2 A.D. 1423 A.H.
Edition: First edition.
2
3
Address: Imam Ali foundation
Iran, Qom p. o.box 737/ 37185
Fax: 743199
Tel: 743996
E-mail: imamali@refed. Net.
4
DEDICATION
***********
To those who took me in the warmth of the hug, and
nourished me from the nectar of their goodness, and put
upon me their hope in their future.
To my mother and my father, I dedicate the reward
of my first born work aspiring that it will be a treasure,
which serves them in the hereafter whereat neither
progeny nor wealth might help.
5
In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the
Merciful
*********
{Prelude}
One of the accurate notices held by jurisprudents in
the chapter of Ijtihad and Takleed is the prevention of
imitation as for the origins of dogmas, upon the adults.
The origins of dogmas are the fundamentals and the
basic foundations for man’s thought and behavior;
imitation in the field of dogmas is a quite detestable
imitation that does not rely on consciousness, and it is
the unconscious imitation to which Allah the Exalted
reproachfully refers in His Book.
Thus, the adult-on all levels- has to constitute for
himself a satisfaction that relies on consciousness and
hard work as for the origins of dogmas one by one.
If ever the adult reaches to such a satisfaction, he is
permitted to imitate the specialists in the matters “of
jurisprudence”
As much as this satisfaction is solid and honest,
man’s character will also be solid and honest, and vice
versa, for man’s character will be shaky and weak as
much as his satisfactions in the origins are weak, and
not depending on solid, certain bases.
*
*
*
I do not mean by “certainty” and “scientific
satisfaction” the sophisticated scientific formulas,
which regulate the thoughts that relate to the origins of
the dogma, rather I mean by that conviction and
clearness merely and certainty as such provide the
believer with mental stability that enables him to
confront the trends of thoughts that vary and intercross
6
with each other, fortify him against mental and
penetrations.
*
*
*
The young generation today is facing a cultural
invasion and mental and cultural penetrations that are
administrated by the press, mass media and the
educational establishments in the Islamic world in a
wide, systematic way, employing great international
assets.
The best way to confront both cultural invasion and
penetration is to pay more attention to the dogmatic
education on all levels of the youth and the young in a
scientific, solid and compact way that should be as well
easy, handy and far from complication and twist.
The mental effort- now at hand- of the reverend
shaikh Sadique Al-S’ady (may Allah preserve him)
who is among the elite of the e’migre’ Iraqi (Hawza)1 is
one of the successful attempts in this field.
The author (may Allah preserve him) communicates
the origins of the Islamic dogmas in an easy language
to the young who are not specialists, preserving- at the
same time- the scientific aspect of those researches as
much as he can, avoiding to wade through details that
do not serve the youth and the young at this scholastic
stage.
The author tries-as much as he can- to avoid the
philosophical approach in studying the Islamic belief so
that this book might help to educate the non-specialist
youth in the dogmatic education on all levels. All this is
done through a style of question and answer which
evokes the student to follow the chapters of the book
inducing him to get into the details of the research so
simply; that it forms a new experience in the field of
dogmatic books and studies.
1Hawza:
An Islamic institute for dogmatic and theological
study. Translator.
7
I pray to Allah the Exalted that our youth will get the
best of it, praying to Him, at the same time to assist the
reverend shaikh Al-S’ady- May Allah preserve himexert much more scientific educational effort; He hears,
He answers.
8
{Introduction of the author}
***************************
I have been thinking for along time to write an easy
ideological program, which may assist those who seek
it, employing for this purpose easy language and clear
style.
By the grace of Allah I attained my ambition by
writing the book which you are reading at the time
being under the title, “The Origins of Religion,
Questions and Answers”, that could only be done by
the mercy of Allah, when I found wonderful chances
through teaching this material to declare its ambiguities
to others, to answer their questions and to remove their
suspicions.
What I have written in this respect is not a new
invention or a special theory in the theology; it is rather
an effort produced by the brains of so many specialists,
and I had the Honor of putting down their opinions and
ideas in new lingual forms plus a new style.
I look forward to my brothers and reverend
professors anticipating their precious notes so that they
may participate in supporting this project by whatever
is useful and fruitful.
Sadique Al-S’ady
9
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the
Merciful
Translator’s Introduction
**********************
Translating dogmatic and theological studies
demands an exceptional effort from the translator.
He will wade through a dangerous arena that has
always witnessed sectarian and ideological conflicts
bringing about a lot of misunderstanding and antagony
among the parties concerned.
This risk takes more difficult forms when a translator
ventures to tackle Islamic dogmas and beliefs or
theology, for the lingual nature of Arabic language
which is in the core of Islam and Islamic studies. To
understand Islam, you have to read and comprehend the
Holy Qur’an, and to read this Holy Book and
apprehend its meaning you have to “master thoroughly”
the Arabic language, which is a task that is enormously
difficult even for the Arabs; I should rather say; a
complete mastery of Arabic language is an impossible
challenge for every person.
I say this with enough confidence- that may annoy
some fanatics who are quite obsessed about teaching
this language to others- for myself is an Arab, and
Arabic is my mother tongue, in addition to the fact that
I am “almost” a specialist in this language. We describe
Arabic as a (holy language” because it is the language
of the “Holy Qur’an” by means of which Allah dictated
His Book to His Messenger “Peace be on him and his
descendants”.
This short note on Arabic language is very essential
to me and to the reader, for I am going to accompany a
western non-Muslim reader in a journey through the
eastern Islamic dogmas.
10
Translating the book (The Origins of Religion;
Questions and Answers) has been a great joy and a
laborious challenge for me. A joy, because I am an
Arab, a Moslem and a Shiite, and this book in an easy
entrance and prelude that introduces the Islamic
dogmatic to the western reader who is quite alien to
them. And a laborious challenge for reasons I prefer not
to mention in this respect!!
I ought to mention here that I have not translated the
verses of the Holy Qur’an which the author has quoted
in his text, refuging to an English translation of the
Holy Qur’an which is done by Mr.M.H.Shakir.
I have no personal acquaintance with the translator,
but as far as I can see, his mother tongue is not Arabic,
so I disagree with him about some translations.
I find it necessary to inform the reader of some
details that he may come across: my references would
be short and informative as much as I can:
* The translator of the Holy Qur’an uses the word
“Apostle” when he means the “Messenger of Allah”;
which is one thing I quite disagree with him about; for
the word “Apostle” means the pupil or follower of a
Prophet rather than the Prophet himself; thus I prefer to
use the word “Messenger of Allah”.
* The translator of the Qur’an uses the expression
“People of the House” referring to the Progeny O
Muhammad [P] that descended from his daughter
Fatimah [P] and her husband Imam Ali [A].
His translation of this expression which is derived
from a verse from the Qur’an is rather problematic; for
it does not signify who are “the people of the House”,
being quite unknown to the western reader.
Yes, I think that the translator refuged to this
expression to rid himself from indulgence in the
elaborate interpretations of the Qur’anic verses that
hold this expression by the various Islamic sects.
11
* The translator of the Qur’an uses the word “Allah”
as the name of “God” or the “Lord”, avoiding using the
English equivalents, I adopted the same style asserting
that the word :Allah” has no accurate equivalent in
English for lingual and linguistic reasons that concern
the nature of this word in Arabic.
* Whenever the title “The Messenger of Allah” is
used without bringing a name before it, it will mean
Prophet Muhammad [P] exclusively.
* The word “Surah” is an Arabic word that means a
certain collection of verses from the Holy Qur’an
entitled with a certain name to distinguish it from
others.
* The “Ka’abah” is the Holy shrine to which all
Muslims turn their faces for prayer, and it is where to
all Muslims pilgrimage. Several narrations relate
various tales about the “Ka’abah”, but all of them
agreed that Ibraheem and his son Ismael built it several
centuries before Islam.
* The lexical meaning of the word prophecy
connotates that it is an infinitive for the adjective
“Prophet”- Yet in some cases I found it more suitable
and meaningful to use the word “Prophethood” to
derive the infinitive.
* The words “Imam” and “Wali” signify almost the
same meaning. Both words have no English
equivalents, thus I used them as they are except by
using Latin letters to write them.
* The “Imam” in the Shiite’s dogma is a leader
among his people, and his “Imamhood” is given to him
by the command of Allah.
* The only acceptable form of greeting in Islam is
“peace be upon you” which is a message of peace to
everybody everywhere.
* The reader will come across the following words
so often, so we had better acquaint him with their
meanings.
12
(Ibn), (Ben): Two words which mean the “son of”.
(Abu), (Abi): Two words which mean the “father
of”.
(Bent), (Ibnet): Two words which mean the
“daughter of”
* The Islamic history relies on the lunar calendar.
The Lunar year is 354 days which represents 12
rounds of
the moon around the earth. The ArabMuslims and all Muslims “in their religious rituals”
recognize the beginning of the Lunar month by seeing
the crescent on its first night.
The names of these months are:
Muharram, Saffar, Rabia’a Al-Awal, Rabia’a AlThani, Jamadi Al-Awal, Jamadi Al-Thani, Rajab,
Shaa’aban, Ramadhan, Shawal, Thi Al-Qui’dah, Thi
Al-Hijah.
After this informative introduction, I find it my duty
to express my gratitude and thank to those who assisted
me, may Allah bless them and grant them the better
hereafter, and Praise and thank be to Allah the Exalted
Gracious be He.
M.A.Al-Malaika
th
11 of Ramadhan 1418 Hijrah
10th of January 19998 A.D.
13
CHAPTER I
UNITHEISM
14
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the
Merciful
********
CHAPTER I
***********
(Researches of Unitheism)
1.
St Question:
What are the origins of religion and why does the
theological science that deals with them is called the
science of (Kalam)? 1
* The origins of religion are; unitheism; belief in the
prophet hood of Muhammad, belief in the Resurrection;
belief in the twelve Apostolic Imama; and belief in the
justice of Allah.
They are considered the fundamentals of the holy
building of Islam, assuming that the structure of
religion as a whole is relying on them; i-e without them
any lawful regulation can not be authenticated.
It is said that calling the science that deals with these
fundamentals by the name of “Alkallam” is due to the
first quest and argument that took place between the
Ashaerah and the Muttazwlah 2. That argument
concentrated on the (Kallam-u-Allah) i.e.
(The speech of God) whether it is new or old.
Others said, that the name has been given to this
science for (Ahel-u-Hadeth) i.e. (Sunni sect of Islam)
used to think that it is not right to deal with the origins
1The
science of Kallam has no equivalent in English, but we
can say it is a branch of religious studies dealing with the core of
Islamic ideological doctrines.
2Ashaerah & Muttazelah: two old islamic sects. Tran.
15
of religion by means of reason and rational inference;
hence these origins must be derived from the Holy
Qur’an and the example of the Prophet 1, and there
should not be any argument about any thing that is not
mentioned in them.
Furthermore, it is said that the researchers of this
science were so accurate to the degree that they were
discussing any quest that would come into their way.
Other opinions were given to explain the meaning of
this name. Whatever has been said has its own plea and
defence; but we think that the best among them is the
first one for it is the most famous one among them.
2. nd Question:
What do (religion) and (Islam) that are mentioned
in the Holy verses hereunder mean?
SURELY THE TRUE RELIGION WITH ALLAH
IS ISLAM 2
Linguistically speaking3, religion means
judgment or obedience. Referring to the meaning
of judgment Allah the Almighty said:
Master of the Day of Judgment 4
The Prophet (peace be on him and his descendants)
said:
(The way you judge people you will be judged) 1
1The
example of the Prophet: the life and speeches of Prophet
Muhammad [P.] Translator.
2Surah“ The Family of Imran”, verse 19.
3Al-Munjed dictionary page 454.
4Surah”: The Opening”, verse 4.
16
In the meaning of obedience the Almighty said:
Nor follow the religion of truth 2
Idiomatically the ward religion means:The belief in the Creator of universe, man, and the
teachings and duties that are required for this belief.
Thus, those who do not believe in the creator were
called non-religious.
The item “Islam” on the other hand, means:Complete obedience and surrender to the teachings
and prohibitions of the commander with no objection.
Idiomatically, the item “Islam” means the religion
that has been brought by the master of Messengers (P.)
3
regarding that it is the final religion by means of
which belief in Allah has purely elevated, as well as it
has completed regulations and lawful judgments.
Thus this final religion has been named “Islam” for it
is the comprehensive title through which, the will of
heaven has been achieved so as the behavior of people
in surrender and obedience to Allah the Almighty.
For the reasons mentioned above no other religion is
accepted from the people:
And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it
shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter
he shall be one of the losers 4
3rd Question:
1Al
Fadhil Al Mequdad.
Repentance, Verse 29.
3An abbreviation of (Peace be on him and his descendants)
4Surah“ The Family of Imaran” Verse 85.
2Surah
17
Alkallam specialists put great emphasis on the
necessity of research and inference as means of
exploring the origins of religion.
What is their reliable proof in this respect?
* The reliable proof which Alkallam specialists give
in this regard is the reason of man, for it necessitates
avoiding probable harm and paying thanks to the
donator at the same time.
Explaining this:Along history some individuals emerged from within
the people maintaining good behavior and honesty of
speech; claiming at the same time that they are the
Messengers of Allah to guide rightly the people of the
earth. They foretold the people about so many things
among which are; to God people will return, and to
Him will be the end of every thing, else more, He will
judge the deeds of the people, regardless that they are
small or big, even if these deeds were as small as a
particle in heaven or earth. Being so, would it not be
reasonable to avoid disobeying the orders and
prohibitions issued by that power which they called
Allah the Exalted blessed be He?
For if this prophecy- Whatever the probability might
be- proved correct; man must be careful in inspecting
the right or –God forbid- the falsehood of it.
The probability here- whatever tiny and unexpected
may be- will be very dangerous, i.e. the horrible eternal
torment that awaits the nonbelievers and the
disobedients, thus described by the prophets.
In this regard, reason and reasonable people blame
whoever behaves without caution overlooking inquiry
and inspecting what the prophets told.
How could it be hat man would ignore such an
important matter even though some decent good
righteous people warned him a forehand? On the other
18
hand, if a man is told by some youngsters that there are
some bandits in his way, he no doubt will be careful in
his way.
To us the cases are incomparable!!
Considering the second part of the answer;
Reason dictates the necessity of showing
gratefulness to the donator; else more we are told that
Allah had bestowed his graces to us:
And if you count Alla’s Favors, you will not be able to
number them 1
So inspection is required to prove the existence of
Allah and to know Him; thence to meditate on what is
appropriate to show gratefulness corresponding to His
graces and goodness.
Is the reward of goodness ought but goodness 2
In addition to what proceeded; research and
inspection about the things mentioned above will draw
the path way to man giving him a chance to choose
between material methods or spiritual ones after
deciding what is useful or harmful to him, it is no doubt
an important vital question which cannot be
overlooked. 3
4th Question:
1Surah“
Ibrahim) Verse 34.
2Surah“ The Beneficent” Verse 60.
3Droos Fi Alaqeeda Al Islamiah Vol.1, Page 27.
19
What is the benefit expected from studying the
origins of religion especially it has been belonging to
times that are long past, while we are living the age of
modern technology and enlightenment, would it not
be better if we spend our time in other fruitful aspects
of life rather than spending it in this futile ideological
research?
Although modern man has stridden forward fulfilling
great achievements in fields of science and technology,
yet he has retreated along way backward leaving behind
him the gifts of heaven in spite of what it contains of
good moralities, proper behavior, straight system of
living and whatever might bring happiness to mankind.
The suffering humanity has experienced social
earthly regimes anticipating that it will attain its utopia
through showing commitment and allegiance to those
regimes but the result turned more horrible and worser
than before; so man added loses and destruction to
himself, here appears the importance of the school of
prophets and their role in reforming people leading
them towards virtue and ideal superior moralities,
creation of a social system that will adopt the
reformation of man’s life be it mundane or in the
hereafter. This can not be attained but through forming
a proper ideological structure for the people on which
they may rely-as a solid and cohesive base- when the
time comes to exert efforts and labor; so fortitude will
substitute indecision, power will substitute frailty,
victory will do for retreat.
(Receive) the baptism of Allah, and who is better than
Allah in baptizing? And Him do we serve. 1
5th Question:
1Surah“
The Cow” Verse 138.
20
How does the nature of man prove the existence of
Allah?
* If man returns to the core of his ego asking and
investigating about what concerns the existence of
Allah Blessed be He; man’s ego will answer very
clearly that behind the world and the universe stands a
masterful creator; this intrinsic feeling which emerges
from the instinctive idiosyncrasy, I, e (nature) of man
has its value, for it is original and it extends deep into
history when man used to live primitively on earth.
This feeling has never been conditional to a definite era
of time nor was it subject to teaching and learning.
Yes, it is true it was diminishing now and then for
some reasons but soon it would flare more clearly to
occupy a space from the interests of people and their
sufferings.
Then set your face upright for religion in the right
state- the nature made by Allah in which he has
made men. 1
Specialists of geology emphasize this conception by
proving with living documents and evidences that the
houses and caves of the ancient communities of man
were full of gods that man used to worship and adore.
The originality of the natural feeling about the
existence of Allah never intercepts with man’s
tendency to worship false gods; for the original
necessity for worship is unquestionable, but the
misunderstanding came from man himself, for his bad
choice of a false and illusive spring to satisfy that need
and feeling.
1Surah“
The Romans” Verse 30.
21
This is similar to a patient who feels a need to visit a
physician to get cured, but he misses the real physician
and refuges to an ignorant man who can not cure
himself a part from curing the others.
The origin of the feeling of need to worship the right
God is doubtless and unquestionable but man had
mistaken, or intended to mistake and deviated false
ways of worship, hence some people worshipped the
sun, others worshipped the moon, others worshipped
idols like Allat, Al’uzza, and Hubbel 1…etc.
While others traced the way of success choosing to
worship Allah the only one and the Conqueror.
6th Question:
What are the reasons for materialism and nonreligiousness?
1-
* The reasons for materialism and non-religiousness
in man can be concluded in the following 2:
The great number of sins and disobediences:Sins-due to their nature-stain the relationship between
man-the slave- and his Lord through the impediments
and abandoning they create between them which may
lead man finally to dislike Allah and tend to something
else other than Him.
Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they
rejected the communications of Allah and used to
mock them 3
1Names
of idols which Arabs used to worship before Isam,
Translator.
2Referr to the book (Reasons for Matterial Inclinations) in
Persian, written by martyr Muttahari for further information.
3Surah (The Romans) Verse 10.
22
2-The whole potency of the Exalted every where and
any time became a reason for suspecting His beingBlessed be He- For Allah is not preceded by
nothingness so that we may imagine and figure out
clearly His being. We recognize the smell because it
was nothing then it was brought to being; but when this
smell overcomes the smelling sense thoroughly it
becomes difficult for man to recognize and feel.
This is opposite to the night and the day, for we
realize their being because they follow each other, i, e
the appearance of the night after its nonbeing and the
appearance of the day after its nonbeing became reason
to realize their existence; for if all of our time was
night, or all of our time was day; it would have been
very difficult to realize the real meaning of night and
day.
As long as the existence of Allah the Exalted is
eternal and nonfinal; i, e He was neither preceded by
nothingness nor followed by it; therefore this became a
reason for the ambiguity of His existence in the mind of
man.
3-Man’s sense of the material and the sensate is more
than his sense of the nonsensate: whereat Allah is
abstract and nonsensate therefore His existence to the
human mind became unfamiliar and ambiguous;
therefore teachers and professors make use of
explanatory questions to bring closer to the imagination
of the students whatever is difficult to imagine.
4- The availability of atheistic theories and trends
that deny the existence of Allah which used to arouse
questions and suspicions concerning the existence of
Allah.
These trends and theories employ the most foxy
ways and methods to arouse doubt in Allah and denial
of His being in the minds of people.
5-There is a psychological factor behind this
phenomenon which is the instinctive bohemian
23
tendency of man to be loose and to get rid of the moral
code and the religious commitments. In order to justify
this tendency he had to deny and suspect the idea of
Allah, Blessed be He.
Does man think that we shall not gather his bones? Yea!
We are able to make complete his very fingertips Nay!
Man desires to give the lie to what is before him. 1
6- The reason for deviation from religion and the
tendency towards materialism can be traced to the
behavior of some people who are considered religious
while in fact they are quite removed from it, as it
happened in Europe who forsook the church and
Christianity because of the clergymen and the priests,
who represented the godfathers of religion, made
mistakes in explaining some natural phenomena; and
they exterminated a great number of researchers and
scientists in the field of experimental sciences.
7th Question:
In addition to the nature of man, is there any other
proof that certifies the existence of Allah the Most
Holy?
* There are countless proofs that certify the
existence of Allah; it is said they match the number of
breaths of the creatures and the number of the leaves of
the trees.
In every thing there is evidence Certifying He is the
Only one 2
For every case there is a cause; and for everything
which is made there is a marker; and for every
The Resurrection” Verse 3, 4, 5.
line of poetry. Translator.
1Surah“
2A
24
establishment there is a founder; so what about this
boundless universe that is filled with great mysteries? Is
there no cause and no maker and no founder for it?
Suppose we found a book of poetry that equals (The
Seven Mua’llaquat) 1 and we investigated who is its
author? And we are told that it had been written and
published accidentally without any preintention, i, e
some apes entered the press house took the lead letters
and scattered them at random but accidentally those
letters took the shape of meaningful words and lines to
form lines of poetry with its special rhyme and rhythm
then papers were brought, published, cut, arranged and
collected into a book; then this book found its way to
the bookshops to be sold!! Would any body believe
such an assumption unless he is a lunatic, or a man with
a disease in his heart, so Allah added to his disease? 2
Even if we agree that the coincidence played an
important role in the formation of the existence of
various beings in this universe; still we have the right to
ask about the resource of the initial particals which
formed the universe, are they themselves found
accidentally without a founder, i, e they made
themselves!!
If the answer is yes, it will be a problem, for no
reasonable and sensible man would agree to this; and if
the answer is no-meaning that there is a maker for these
things-; it will be more troublesome, for the speaker
would have to submit and agree that there is a rich
creator who made and created them; whom we the
unithiests call Allah the Exalted much more
explanation comes in Q 11.
8th Question:
1Great
poems written before Islam and used to be fixed on
the curtains of AlKaa’ba. Translator.
2Reference to the Holy Qur’an. Translator.
25
How shall we believe in God whose existence is not
proved by way of our five senses?
* It is not necessary that it should be proved to us
that any existent do exist by means of our five senses,
and later to believe in it; for the existence of beings has
two forms.
Some of them are abstract beings that have no
material form, like Allah and the angels…etc; whose
existence can be recognized only through reason and
inference, because the five senses can not feel or realize
them.
Others are material beings that are not abstract, yet
human senses might not be able to realize some of their
features, for the deficiency of experimental methods, or
for there is some obstacle that prevents the five human
senses from reaching them.
The electron or the infra-red ray, or the Ultra-violet
ray, or the gravity, or thousands of other things which
science discovered and proved and in some of which
we believe with infinite certitude although none of our
five senses can realize them; that is possible only
because we believe that non-feeling by no means means
non-existence.
It is true that we can prove the existence of some
abstract non-material items indirectly through the
sensate phenomena, which signify their being.
We can prove -for example- the existence of Allah
by means of the minute system and accurate law that
governs the universe, to infer that there is a wise and
accurate organizer standing behind this cosmic system,
and He is none but Allah the Exalted- Blessed be He.
We usually follow the same style of thinking to
prove some universal phenomena which can not be
proved by means of the five senses, like proving
gravity through the fall of an apple from the tree down
26
to the ground, or recognizing the existence of electric
current through noticing the lightening of a lamp.
This means that we moved rationally from the result
to the cause.
Would it not be irrational to follow this style in fields
of experiments and in nature and in the lab without
adopting it in that which relates to prove the existence
of Allah the Exalted and other beings!
9th Question:
If we have agreed to the fact that for every creature
there is a creator and for every thing made there is a
maker, so why do not we assume that Allah has been
created by a creator and made by a maker?
* Allah- as it will be clear very soon- is not made
and created like other things so that we may assume a
maker and a creator for Him. Yes, He is a thing but not
like other things that are defective for He was not
nothing to need somebody to release Him from
nothingness into being. He is the First and the Last, the
Apparent and the Hidden; He is the One who put an
end to time when there was no end to it. He is the One
who made the nature of things when they had no
nature. He is One and the only One on whom all
depend. He begets not, nor is He begotten and none is
like Him. He, who owns all these qualities, is it not
wrong to look for His cause and resource of existence.
Here is an example that will bring the idea closer to
your mind.
Suppose we have a cup of water and we want to
make it sweet, we shall need sugar to sweeten it.
Whereas sugar itself does not need anything to make
it sweet as long as it is itself sweet, i, e it does not need
sugar to make it sweet for it is sweet by itself
27
The same is with Allah the Exalted; He is rich in His
existence so He does not need somebody to give Him
His being and existence. While other creatures and
things that are made need somebody to grant their
existence so that they might appear on the surface
clearly to every eye and witness.
10th Question:
For what reason do we call Allah the Exalted an
essential existence and other creatures (possible
existence) and the assumed companion for Allah as
being (impossible existence)?
* Calling Allah an essential existence is due to the
fact that His existence is not acquired by any other
being; rather the existence of the Exalted springs from
the core of His very being; meaning that His being in
its existence is sufficient by itself, not needing or
depending on some thing else, therefore His existence
is obligatory and inevitable.
Hence, the inevitability of His existence is
conditioned to Himself, i, e the inevitability of His
existence is linked to His being and not taken from
somebody else as it is with any case that is conditioned
to its cause. The essential existence for the made is not
connected to its very being; rather it is connected to
something else. I. E. it gained the inevitability of its
existence from something else which became the cause
for its existence; just like the inevitability of glassshattering, when it is hit by a stone.
Whereas the idiom (possible existence), means that
the existence for a fact like man, is not obligatory and
inevitable, i, e it is not a must; rather, man can be
brought into being if a cause spread its being on him;
on the other hand, he might stay in the zone of
nothingness if no cause takes action to bring him out.
28
The expression (possible existence) is given to all
existents except Allah the Exalted.
Concerning the idiom (impossible existence); this
expression is given to the assumed companion of Allah
the Exalted; this companion gained this name for it is
impossible- as inference will come- to assume the
existence of a god and a creator other than Allah
participating with Allah’s creation and innovation.
Hence the idiom (Allah’s companion) is conditioned by
the expression (Impossible for its being) to differentiate
it from the (made) that can not be made unless its cause
is found. The impossibility of the case here is not due to
its being; rather it is due to another being, which is the
non-achievement of the existence of its cause.
Regarding the same instance which we mentioned
before; the glass can not be broken unless it is hit by a
stone or any other thing that may break it. 1
11th Question:
Why is there an insistence on the assumption that
Allah the Exalted is an essential (must existence) and
sufficient by Himself (i.e. His being), and to Him end
all cases and causes?
* This assumption is made because supposing Allah
a (possible existence) and He is like the rest of existents
in need of a cause to bring about his being, will compel
us to admit the impossibility of the being of even one
existent from these possible existents whom we
assumed that Allah belongs to; because such a
confession entails sequential dependence and continual
succession; her under is the explanation of the idea in
details:If we suppose that:A created B
1Shareh
Albab Alhadiadhar.
29
B created A
A sequential dependence will be achieved as it is
shown below:
Created
A
B
Created
This precisely means that A created B and
everything that B created and one of those created by B
is A, so A must have created himself; and so is B; for
B has created A and everything that A created and one
of those created by A is B, so B must have created
himself.
As you can see it is impossible.
Explanation by an example:If we assume that there are two runners ready to race,
and each one of them conditioned his start to the other’s
start, the final result at the end is that there will be no
race between them.
Or, let us suppose that there is a man with a
document that needs the signature of two men who
work in an office; the first of them refused to sign
suspending his signature on that of the second one;
when the document holder went to the second to get his
signature, the second too, refused to sign insisting that
the first official should sign first and so on and so forth;
the result was that this poor man would leave the office
without getting the signature.
Now if we take the continual succession, let us
assume that:
30
A has been created by B who has been created by C
who has been created by D who has been created by E
who has been created…up to infinity.
This means that any individual from these letters will
never come to existence because they never stop at a
certain letter to determine the start line of creation, and
be the reason behind creating the letter attached to it.
Explaining this by an example:Suppose we have a countless group of runners
intending to participate in a running race; when the start
shoot was declared none of them ran, when the first one
of them was asked, he answered that “I shall not start
running unless the second runner starts, when the
second one was asked, he answered that he would not
start running unless the third runner starts running and
so on and so forth; the final result of all this dilemma is
that the race will not take place at all for everybody
conditions his movement according to the other, and
the chain is endless and open by the continuation of
their dependence on each other.
The same case will recur in the previous example of
the document holder who wanted to sign his document
by one official among a countless group of officials, but
the first official refused to sign conditioning his action
to the signature of the second official, the second
referred him to the third and so on and so forth.
As long as the number of officials is countless and
endless, the document will never be signed.
The same meaning can be driven if we assumed a
creator for Allah who has made Him. Either the creator
of Allah is one of Allah’s creatures, it will be a clear
nonsensical sequential dependence; or the creator of
Allah might be created by somebody else, and for this
creature in turn there is another creator and so on…to
infinity; this will be the same continual succession
which we proved its nonsense, for-as we have declared
31
before- the assumption of sequential dependence and
continual succession will be the reason for the
nonexistence of even one god from these gods, still
more, even the creatures which we assumed their
existence at the beginning of our research and about
whose creator we were investigating will be impossible
to be assumed, for the possibility of their cause owing
to the nature of the sequential dependence and
continual succession assumption.
We have no way to get rid of this problematic
dilemma but in assuming that Allah the Exalted Blessed
be He, is the creator of the universe, and He Himself is
self-sufficient and He does not need a cause that may
give Him His existence.
You may say: Does not this mean sequential
dependence? For this opinion necessitates that Allah
had made Himself, which is nonsense!!
The answer is:
This meaning may come true if Allah was
insufficient and poor in His existence, or there was a
start point from which He started. But we have already
said and proved that Allah is self sufficient meaning
that He in no time was in need of existence, or He was
at a certain time nothing so that might need somebody
to give Him sufficiency or to get Him out from the zone
of nothingness to the zone of existence. Thus, Allah
must not be described as a (creature) or a (case) or a
(made) so that we might look for his creator, cause, and
maker, or may say that He had created Himself thereby.
12th Question:
Why do we not assume that the matter of universe
is eternal with no beginning, so we may not fall in the
maze of looking for its creator thence we would fall in
the trap of sequential dependence and continual
succession mentioned above?
32
* It is illogical and unfair to cancel the role of a
great potency and a wise power and immense reason
standing behind the universal phenomena and their
various forms with what they contain of majesty of
design and fabrication, minuteness of creation and
wonderful secrets of creation & innovation; it is also
illogical and unfair to consider (matter) a substitute
around which everything turns in the universe and the
world, affairs, arts, administration, creation,
continuation of life…etc. despite that it is deaf, dumb,
and short of every feature of thought and sense.
On the other side all scientific achievements and
research conclusions which the specialists and scientists
reached assure that matter has been brought into
existence and it has a start point from which it emerged.
It has been inferred by Frank Allen, professor of
social physics that different parts of the world tend to
reach equality in temperature; at the time that the parts
with more heat lose some of their heat to equal other
parts’ temperature. This has been mentioned in the
second origin of the origins of (Thermodynamics)
which is named (entropy) or (diminution).
We conclude therefore that if matter has been
eternal, its temperature would have been equal, and as
long as the case had not been like that, and matter is
still waiting for a fixed day, so matter is made and
borne (i, e new) and never old (eternal). 1
13th Question:
What is your answer to (Bertrand Russell’s)
opinion that religion has been a phenomenon that
emerged because of the fear of people from the
terrifying universal phenomena for they did not know
the causes, reasons and secrets of them?
(Usool Al-Aqu’aid Fe Al-Islam) vol.1, page 91 Mujtabba
Al-Musuoy Al-Larry.
1
33
Or, what is your answer to those who claim that
religion came as a justification for the oppression and
the tyranny of the tyrants who invented religion as a
suitable means through which their crimes and evil
might pass?
* It is very easy to stick accusations to others and to
blame them so as to achieve goals that have been
designed a forehand. But investigating an idea and
adopting it according to a firm base, is something
completely different.
If we examine the reality of Islam, as a thought,
trend, followers, we will conclude that it opposes
clearly what has been mentioned above of cheap
accusations which the foes of religion were accustomed
to stick to it and its followers, we quote Allah’s
Messenger [P] denouncing those who do not meditate
on the creation of heaven and earth thoroughly reading
rapidly the verse:Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the
earth and alternation of the night and the day there
are signs for men who understand 1
Without realizing its meaning, hence the prophet [P]
said describing them:
(Woe be he who chewed these words between his
jaws without meditating them) 2
That is to say that woe awaits the reader of this verse
who runs over it rapidly without thinking and
meditating.
The basic dogmatic references emphasize that man
should seek knowledge, and people should praise the
knowledgeable men and make them like the prophets of
The Family of Imran” verse 195.
Al-Anwar vil. 69 page 349, chapter 38.
1Surah“
2Behar
34
Israel, furthermore the real fear of Allah is limited from
juridical point of view to those God-fearing people.
Those of His servants who are possessed of
Knowledge fear Allah 1
And those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: we
believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind
except those having understanding 2
Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those
who are given knowledge, in high degrees 3
On the other hand the ignorants were blamed, and
ignorance was considered the reason for their deviation
and delusion.
Surely the vilest of animals, in Allah’s sight, are the
deaf, the dumb, who do not understand 4
So, is it proper with all that have been mentioned
above, to accuse religion followers of being ignorant
and frightened?!
Yes, some people-only some- might rush to cling to
religion for motives relating to fear and ignorance;
such, is a small stratum that deviates from religious
teachings and the reality for which religion was
circulated aiming to gain followers and adherents.
At this age whereat science reached its peak opening
great entrances to the secrets of nature it was predicted
that the ratio of religious people would go down
according to “Russell’s” criterion to reach nil, But, in
spite of that, we notice that the majority of people
among whom the most brilliant scientists and men of
knowledge like (Einstein) and (Newton) and hundreds
1Surah
(The Originator) verse 28.
(The Family of Imran) verse 7.
3Surah (The pleading One) verse 11.
4Surah (The Spoils of War) verse 22.
2Surah
35
of other knowledgeable men and scientists, do adopt a
religion of some kind-regardless that these religions are
realistic or legendary-.
What is important here is that those people have not
chosen a religion for themselves for motives
corresponding to fear and ignorance of the secrets of
nature; nor did they refuge to religion to protect them
from the evil of what is unknown to them and what
frightens them; rather, all that, has been an expression
of a natural tendency to worship a real God. But man,
sometimes, follows deluded ways that make him miss
the right way; hence he worships gods other than Allah
the One and Everliving.
No doubt that the majority of people are committed
to a godly religion for fear of hell and in hope of
paradise; but this kind of fear is different from the kind
which (Russell) mentioned in his theory, for it is fright
from the hell of Allah, rather than from the natural
phenomena, in addition to the anticipation of the
paradise of Allah. Therefore there is no problem as long
as the frightened and the anticipating get the proof that
Allah does exist.
Thus fear of hell and anticipation of heaven rises
from an understanding and consciousness because it is
part of the belief in Allah the Exalted.
This is very similar to the patient who refuges to a
physician for fear of illness and in anticipation of
recovery whence the benefits of safety and
disadvantages of illness and the efficiency of the
physician have been proved to him.
The story of religion with the oppressors is needless
to say. History in addition to the Holy Qur’an are
witnesses for what we say, for the (Book) held the
slogan:
36
And do not incline to those who are unjust, lest the
fire touch you 1
For the sake of religion, the Moslems sacrificed
floods of blood, and if the people retarded-during an
era- from carrying on their responsibilities and would
not object to the tyrant, either for their draw-backs or
their lack of action, that would be something else.
Anyway, Islam and its attitude concerning
confrontation with oppressors is something, and the
retardation of Moslems from doing their duties is
another thing which is not related to Islam at all; this is
connected to the circumstances and complications that
have drawn a suspicious mask on some phase of
history, which-in turn- threw their shadows on the
original line of Islam, and which Islam disavows
strongly.
Yes, what (Russell) and others mentioned might
prove realistic in some primitive societies and
communities, but it is quite alien to the general
impression of our Islamic society, as well as what our
Islamic thought and ideology have been propagating.
14th Question:
What is the meaning of the famous saying (He who
knows himself knows his God)? 2
* This is not the only saying in this respect,
furthermore there are other speeches carrying the same
connotation, we underline hereunder some of which,
then explain the meaning they express:A- In the book “Al-Durar wa-Al-Ghurar” it has been
told that Imam Ali [P] said:-
1Surah
2Behar
(Hud) verse 113.
Al-Anwar vol.2, page 32, tale22, chapter 9.
37
“The most knowledgeable man of himself among
people is the most God-fearing man”
B- Also Imam Ali [P] said:
“I wonder for that who is ignorant of himself, how
does he know his God.”
C- Also Imam Ali [P] said:
“The biggest victory is achieved through knowing
one’s self.”
D- Also Imam Ali [P] said:
“Do not be ignorant of yourself, for that who does not
know himself, does not know anything”
1- We know every thing that goes on in ourselves,
knowing thoroughly its conditions during happiness,
sadness, hunger, love, hatred.., this knowledge of ours
is attendant; i, e our knowledge directly and
continuously attends to ourselves without the need for
mediation; this explanation brings closer to our
understanding how Allah knows everything thoroughly
without skipping any thing big or small, His knowledge
is comprehensive without missing a partical neither in
heaven nor in earth, for the whole existence is made by
Him and part of His affairs:
He is Allah besides whom there is no god, the knower
of the unseen and the seen; He is the Beneficent; the
Merciful. 1
2- The soul of man can draw images for different and
various things inside his imagination, in an optional
from; through these images we may know that Allah
the Exalted can order anything in one instance (Be and
it shall be) He is the Whole potent, the Selector.
1Surah
(The Banishment) verse 22.
38
3- He who believes that all of his being in spite of its
multiple parts and organs is mastered by one souls, can
also believe that Allah is One and the only One, unique
on whom all depend, administrating all of his creatures
although they are countless.
4- From the saying mentioned in the question, we
realize too, that to know Allah thoroughly is impossible
as long as knowing the secret of the soul of man, which
is only one creature from the countless creatures of the
Exalted, is not possible.
And they ask you about the soul, say: The soul is one
of the commands of my Lord, and you are not given
ought of knowledge but a little. 1
So; if it is difficult to realize the core of one creature
of Allah’s creatures-I-e the soul-, it would be more
difficult to realize the core of Allah the Exalted who is
the creator and the founder of the soul.
15th Question:
What is the evidence that proves Allah the Exalted
is One?
* The specialists of “Al-Kallam” introduce in this
respect so many evidences and proofs here are some of
them:
A- The wonderful coherence of the system of the
universe proves the existence of one god administrating
this coherence; for if there have been more than one
God in this universe; the form of creation would have
taken another shape different from the present one.
The majesty of the cosmic system and its integrity
astonished the scientists and led them to admit the
existence of Allah, the One, the Everlasting; for how
1Surah
(The Israelites) 85.
39
could two writers or poets exist together, equaling each
other in their production, so on difference –whatever
slight- may exist between them?!.
B- We can derive evidence from what the prophets
said about the oneness of Allah putting into
consideration that they are honest foretellers and had
proved their prophet hood by clear evidences embodied
by their miracles.
So, we ought to accept what they related about Allah,
who says that, He is only One, and has no partner in
creating and bestowing existence especially.
Furthermore, we had already proved that the Exalted
is an essential existence which means conclusively that
He is an essential existence in every-thing that is
related to Him, in one of which is His honesty in what
he says; for if we assume that Allah in what He told His
prophets was lying, then this would necessitate that He
is deficient, which in turn contradicts His being an
“essential” existence.
This is on one hand, and on the other hand all
prophets had foretold the oneness of Allah; for if there
had been other gods they would have sent their
messengers to prove the falsehood of what had claimed.
Hence came the will of Imam Ali to his son Al-Hassan
“peace be upon them” signifying what we have
mentioned:
(Know my son that if your god has a partner, his
messengers would have come to you, and you would
have noticed the evidences of his majesty and
godhood, furthermore you would have recognized his
deeds and qualities; but He is only One as he had
described Himself; nothing opposes His majesty, and
He is the creator of everything) 1
1Behar
Al-Anwar- volume 4, page 317, tale 42 chapter 4.
40
C- The universe with all that it contains is integral as
if it is one whole body, trees can not be segregated from
the system of soil and the nature of atmosphere and
water; so is man, who can not be segregated from the
place in which he lives, and the water he drinks and the
meat he eats and the sun that rises on him and on his
plantation to provide him with food and clothes; as well
as the gases that form a stratum around the earth which
have a special nature and density which grant life,
eternity and continuation. These are two samples out of
millions of samples that are connected with one
another.
Here is a note that deserves mentioning:
If the God is a real God He must be able to provide
the capabilities for survival and its continuation, in
addition to his potency for creation innovation and
bestowing existence to his creatures; if His potency is
only bounded to the innovation and the creation from
nothingness without exceeding to all process of
supplying elements of survival and continuation, is like
the trees that He brings to life; but He is not capable of
providing them with water, fertile soil, proper air, these
will then turn into dry stiff pieces of wood that are
blown away by the wind, and they will not survive
because their God has no authority on the air, dust, soil,
and water to satisfy the trees’ need.
We shall reach to the same conclusion even if we
suppose that His dominance extends to the air, soil, and
water; still more He will lack the sun ray by means of
which photosynthesis in plants is achieved so that the
plant can supply its foodstuff.
Even if the dominance of this God extends to include
the sun this will not put an end to the problem; for the
sun and the earth, and all the solar system are linked by
a universal regime and a cosmic equation that very
minutely determine the orbit of every planet. But for
41
this system, stars and planets will collide with each
other and life and continuation will come to a halt.
Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should
overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day;
and all float on in a sphere.1
You may say: The gods can reach to an agreement
arranging their work so the universe, coherence, and
integration will be guaranteed, thus each one of them
will solve the problem of the other.
The answer for what you suggest is:
The real God must be immune from any defect and
deficiency, otherwise, this contradicts His being an
essential existence and self sufficient; as long as He
Himself needs another one to satisfy his need and to
answer for His deficiency so His name should be
enlisted among the creatures in stead of considering
Him a real God and creator.
As to what have been mentioned above it became
clear that:
Assuming several gods for the universe will lead to
its corruption and destruction; to this the gracious verse
referred in a very solemn and comprehensive
expression:
If there had been in them any Gods except Allah, they
would both have certainly been in a state of disorder. 2
16th Question:
What are the kinds of unitheism and what are its
degrees; and what is the lowest degree that is required
from every Muslim?
1Surah“
2Surah“
Ya Seen” verse 40.
The Prophets” verse 22.
42
* Relating to the kinds of Unitheism (the Oneness of
Allah and the real belief in it), there are two idioms one
of which is adopted by the philosophers and the
scientists of (Al-Kallam) and the other one belongs to
the Gnostic people (Al-Urffa’) 1
According to the first idiom, philosophers classify
Unitheism into three kinds:
1-
2-
Unitheism of self:
This means that Allah is one in His self, for His
being is a “Whole” that is not compounded of parts;
and there is no existence for God away from His
Holy self.
Unitheism of Qualities:
This means that the qualities of Allah are not
different from His self (i. e He has a being in addition
to the qualities of this being), as it is familiar with all
creatures whereat, if we want to create an image or add
a color to something, we have to bring that thing into
existence first, then we add to it the details of design or
the wanted color, here there is dualism in our action;
while the qualities of Allah are not as such; for His self
is His qualities and his qualities are identical to His
self.
Imam Ali [P] said:
And the perfection of the belief in His Oneness is
negating that He owns any additional quality) 2
This contradicts what the (Ashaera) 3 believed
whereat they assumed for the self of the Exalted an
gnostic people (Al-Urffa’) those who know Allah by
their hearts after treding Allah’s way; hence they only depend on
their mystic trances to know Him through pure love. Translator.
2The“ Nahj Al-Balagha” by Imam Ali [P] First speech.
3Ashaera: A dogmatic Moslem sect. Translator.
1The
43
existence and for every quality of His an independent
existence separate from His self and His other qualities.
All these qualities-according to them- belong to
Allah the exalted. Furthermore they assumed that Allah
has seven qualities which are as old as His self;
therefore they adopted the idea of (the ancient eight) 1
But the right opinion is: There is no separate
independent existence for His qualities, only there is
the existence of His self Exalted and glorious be He.
But as long as, we have proved the essential
existence i, e inevitability of- His being, it follows that
we must refer every perfect quality to Him which does
not mean at all that this quality does exist independent
from His being, rather, reason derived and imagined it
to be part of Allah’s nonfinite perfection.
3- Unitheism of Actions:
This means that Allah in His actions does not need a
supporter and an assistant.
Unitheism according to the idiom of the Gnostic
people is something else; for they start classifying the
kinds of unitheism following an opposite order to that
of the philosophers.
They follow the knowledge of their hearts, which is
attained through rituals of worship and adoration; by
means of this knowledge they regard Unitheism of
Actions as the first step for man in the march of
Gnostic people, then he climbs to reach the second
stage which is represented in recognizing Allah’s
Oneness in His qualities. The last stage which the
knowledgeable reaches in his march towards knowing
Allah in His self.
To them Unitheism of actions means attributing all
actions of the existents and creatures to Allah; for all
causes, reasons, movements, and deeds that are done by
page 30. Al-Ebann’e- page 108. Consider their
texts for further information.
1Al-Luma’a,
44
these creatures are resulted from Allah’s actions; like
the pen in the hand of the writer, the one who moves
the pen really is the writer not the pen itself.
According to them this knowledge has not been
attained by reason through meditations rather it is
realized by the purity of the souls which has been
crystallized by the light that Allah inspired in the
hearts.
Unitheism of the qualities of Allah according to them
means attributing all qualities of perfection to Allah;
what the others carry of these qualities are only part of
His manifestations.
Unitheism of self, to them, is the last stage the
Gnostic may reach in his trip towards Allah; thence he
can behold the real existence characterized in the real
being of Allah, all other things are only reflections and
shadows for His most Holy existence.
Existence- whatever multiple may be- is only similar
to a single light reflected by so many mirrors, so the
light looks multiple although it is only one reality:
Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth 1
Then, and only then, what the knowledgeable claims
of seeing Allah in everything can be accepted.
It has been mentioned in some narratives that
“Salman Al-Farsi”2 reached a high degree of closeness
to Allah whereas he did not show his insight and
private world to the closest people to him, for he knew
it will bring trouble to him.
Ali the son of Al-Hussein 3said:
If Abou Thar 1knew what is inside Salman’s heart, he
would have killed him. 2
The light” verse 35.
2Salman Al-Farsi: an apostle of the prophet [P] and later of
Imam Ali [P]. Translator.
3Ali the son of Al-Hussein is the fourth Apostolic Imam.
Translator.
1Surah“
45
Here under are the ranks of unitheism:
1Unitheism of the essential existence of Allah:
Which means that His existence is subjective
unlike other existents whose existence relies on
other existents.
2The unitheism of creation:
It is the belief that creation and making are inspired
by Allah not by any one else, unless Allah gives
permission of making and creation to somebody else
as it happened to Jesus the son of Mary (Peace be
upon them). Such a case is not problematic, because
it is conditioned by Allah, for Jesus [P] would not
have the ability to create and make unless the
Exalted had permitted that.
3Unitheism of godhood in the formative
arrangement:
Which means that Allah takes care to administrate
the affairs of the universe with all that it contains
including man even after creating him for the universe
needs Allah’s supervision to direct its existence and
guarantees its continuation.
4Unitheism of legislative god hood:
This rank of unitheism is necessitated by unitheism
of creation, and unitheism of formative god hood. Allah
is our creator who has favored us with the grace of
perminancy, so it is wrong to derive our laws and
legislation from somebody other than Him ignoring His
teachings; He is the creator of man and He best knows
the needs of his happiness and evolution.
5- Unitheism of god hood and adorability:
He is the Only God and the Only Adorable for He is
the one who brought us to existence, the guardian of
our grace, and the owner of our destiny.
1Abou
Thar, one of the apostles of the prophet [P] who was
extremely dedicated to the prophet and his progeny. Translator.
2Behar Al-Anwar volume 2 page 190, tale 25, chapter 26.
46
Man through worshipping Him declares that he is in
the grip of his adorable and that he belongs to Him; no
other power deserves that but Allah who created us and
owns our souls.
6- Unitheism of assistance requirement:
Requiring assistance is limited to Allah the Exalted,
nobody participates Him in this requirement, for He
owns all favors and the life of people; and bestowal that
is donated to any body else will return to Him the
Exalted; this is the meaning of reading the verse:
Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help 1
Bringing forward the word “Thee” and introducing it
before the verb (serve) connotates that the demand here
is limited to Allah, as it has been emphasized by
language books.
7- Unitheism of fear:
As long as nothing affects existence but Allah, so
there is no reason that pushes the believer to fear
anybody but Allah, for anybody below Him is no more
than a method to do things.
But do not fear them, and fear Me if you are
believers2
8- Unitheism of hope and pleading:
We do not plead or ask favor from anybody who is
less than Allah in grace.
9- Unitheism of love:
A lover loves somebody because he thinks that his
beloved owns such qualities of beauty, perfection, or
god characteristics for which he deserves love and
adoration; and no doubt Allah is the resource of every
perfection, including His beauty; and any other beauty
or perfection except His, is only mundane and
metaphorical. The originality of beauty and perfection
1Surah“
2Surah“
The Opening” vese 5.
The Family of Imran” verse 175.
47
is a subjective quality for Allah alone and nobody
shares anything with Him:
O God, I prithee Thy beauty, for all Thy beauty is
beautiful. 1
Concerning the minimum of the prenumerated ranks
of unitheism that must be attained by a believer (I, e a
unitarian); we realize it from what the Holy Qur’an
determines:
And your God is one God! There is no god but He; He
is the Beneficent, the Merciful. 2
The gracious verse determines the fifth rank of
unitheism; which means that the ranks prior to it are
compulsory to the believer, while the ranks above the
fifth are optional to the believer.
As a matter of fact these ranks are particulars for the
Gnostic people through which they may attain the
highest degrees of elevation and reach very close to the
spring of perfection.
Hence, if the unitarian misses even one rank of the
five initial ranks of unitheism he will be a member of
the unbelievers clique: as it happened to Satan who
used to believe in the Oneness of Allah but he rebelled,
and when Allah asked him about his rebellion saying:
He said: O Iblis3! What prevented you that you should
do obeisance to him whom I created with my two
hands? Are you proud or are you of the exalted ones?4
Iblis’ reply was:
1Mafateeh-
Al-Jenan-prayer of dawn.
The Cow” Verse 163.
3Iblis: a name for Satan.
4Srah“ Suad verse 75
2Surah“
48
He said: I am better than he! Thou hast created me of
fire, and him Thou didst create of dust. 1
It is worth noticing that Satan used to believe in the
formative God hood of Allah, this can be understood
from his speech in the gracious verse:
He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast made life evil
to me, I will certainly make (evil) fair-seeming to them
on earth 2
Furthermore Satan used to believe in doomsday as it
is clear from his speech to Allah the Exalted:
He said: My Lord! Then respite me to the day they are
raised. 3
But at last he deserved permanent torment for he did
not believe in the legislative Unitheism of Allah:
He said: Then get out of it, for surely you are driven a
way, and surely My curse is on you to the Day of
Judgment. 4,5
17th Question:
What does Trinity mean in Christianity? And does
it contradict the doctrine of unitheism for which he
prophets [P] called?
* Christians believe that God is One at the same time
they claim He is multiple, even so, they claim that their
religion is a unitarian one with no stains of polytheism.
Suad” verse 76.
(The Roch) verse 39.
3Surah“ Suad” verse 79.
4Surah“ Suad” verse 77-78.
5For further information about this we refer you to the book
(Ma’arif Al-Qur’an0 Muhammad Alyeezdi.
1Surah“
2Surah
49
Their ministers contradicted each other in defining
the meaning of the Trinity. Their arguments reached a
degree that obliged Emperor Constantine to interfere to
put an end to it.
This has been related to us by Saeed Kuttub who
interpreted the gracious verse as it follows;
But parties from among them disagreed with each
other, so woe to those who disbelieve, because of a
presence on a great day. 1
We quote him saying:
(The Roman Emperor Constantine formed a society
of cardinals that numerated 2170 cardinals, who
differed about Jesus [P], then they became several
parties, each of which claiming Jesus [P] according to
its thought… some of them said that he is God who
declined from heaven and resurrected whomever He
chose, killed whomever he killed, then He climbed
back to heaven.
Others said: “He is the son of Allah”
Others said: “he is one of the three Icons, Father,
Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Others more said: “He is a servant of Allah, His
Messenger, His soul and His word.”
And there were other definitions, No more than 308
cardinals agreed on one opinion and definition, so it
held the interest of the Emperor, who supported those
who believed in it, and expelled those who objected to
it, especially the Unitarian) 2
As a matter of fact, the religion that Master Jesus had
brought has nothing to do with what the Christian
cardinals proclaim; for the Trinity dogma has leaked
Marium” verse 37.
(In the shadows of Qur’an) Saeed Kuttub volume 5. Page
1Surah“
2
436.
50
into Christianity from Hinduism represented in the
teaching that says:
(Brahma is the creator, Fishno is the protector, Seefa
is the destroyer) 1
It is strange that the trinity dogma is not subject to a
reasonable criterion or a rational proof, even so
Christians consider it one of their unquestionable
worships; their plea in this is that the human reason can
not realize its secret, so we have to accept it as it is.
This doctrine is a fundamental origin of religion, and
if we take it as it is there will be no reason for
preferring it to other dogmas, for this will be preference
without a justification.
Some people might justify their defence for the
Trinity dogma by reference to examples like:A man standing in front of several mirrors, he will
look multiple although he is one, due to the reflection
of his image in those mirrors, therefore the several look
one, and the one looks multiple.
People, who proclaim so, miss the fact that the
multiple reflections in the mirrors do not represent the
man himself; rather they are only revealing him no
more.
It is clear that such justifications like the mentioned
above are only proofs that convince naïve kids.
I do not understand why Christians think that
considering Master Jesus [P] a servant of God would
belittle him, although Master Jesus himself was well
known for his prayer and worship to Allah the Exalted.
The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should
be a servant of Allah, nor do the Angles who are near
to Him. 2
(1th
Century Encyclopedia), Farid Wajdee, the Trinity, volume 4,
page 225.
2Surah“ Women” verse 175.
51
I do not know how others worship somebody and
rise him to the position of a god while he is a servant of
another. 1
Some people may tend to infer that Jesus is the son
of Allah as he is the spirit of Allah according to the
gracious verse of the Holy Qur’an:
The Messiah, Isa son of Marium is only an apostle of
Allah and His word, which He communicated to
Marium and a spirit from Him. 2
For they explain the word (from) in reference to the
pronoun (Him) meaning Allah.
We quote the answer of the Islamic Scholar (Ali Ben
Al-Husain Al-Wakkedi) addressed to the Christian
physician of (Haroon Al-Rasheed), who quoted the
verse mentioned above to prove that Jesus is part of
Allah’s self, Al-Wakkedi said:
If this verse proves that Jesus is a part of Allah’s self
the Exalted; the word (form) in the following verse:
And he has made subservient to you whatsoever is in
the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. All, from
himself.3
Must prove that heaven and earth are parts of Allah’s
self Exalted; which neither Moslems nor Christians
approve. This answer brought the Christian to Islam;
and Al-Rasheed the Caliph gave Al-Wakkedi a
precious present for it.4
It might be said that Marium [P] bore Jesus [P]
without being touched by any man, this-in itself- is
1This
is the plea of Imam Ali Ben Al-Husain in his argument
with the Christian as mentioned (Al-Mnaquib) for Ibn Shehr
Ashoob. Volume 4, page 352.
2Surah“ Women” verse 171.
3Surah “ The kneeling” verse 13.
4Al-Menar Iterpretation volume 6, page 84.
52
enough reason to consider Jesus [P] the son of Allah;
but this is also untrue, for if it is to be considered a
reason to attribute Jesus as the son of Allah; Adam
would better have deserved that privilege for he is
created without a father and a mother.
Surely, the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness
of Adam; he created him from dust, then said to him,
be and he was. 1
But, the Christians, in spite of Allah’s prohibition to
them and the emphasis which Jesus the son of Marium
put on what God said, by word and deed; chose
unbelief instead of pure faith.
O followers of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in
your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allah,
but speak the truth; the messiah, Isa son of Marium is
only an apostle of Allah and His word which He
communicated to Marium and a spirit from Him;
believe therefore in Allah and His apostles, and say
not, three. Desist, it is better for you; Allah is only one
God: For be it from His glory that He should have a
son; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the
earth is His; and Allah is sufficient for a protector. 2
He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given
me the Book and made me a prophet; and He has
made me blessed wherever I may be, and he has
enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live.3
And when Allah will say; O Isa son of Marium; did
you say to men. Take me and my mother for two gods
besides Allah, he will say; Glory be to Thee, it did not
The Family of Imran” verse 59.
2Surah“ Women” verse 171.
3Surah“ Marium” verse 30-31.
1Surah“
53
befit me that I should say what I had no right to say;
if I had said it, Thou wouldst indeed have know it;
Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I do not know
what is in Thy mind, surely Thou art the great knower
of the unseen things. I did not say to them; ought save
what Thou didst enjoin me with: that serve Allah, my
Lord and your Lord, and I was a witness of them so
long as I was among them but when Thou didst cause
me to die, Thou wert the watcher over them, and Thou
art witness of all things. 1
The summary is that, anybody who joins a religion
or a school of thought or adopts on idea or holds a
position; he will be inclined to defend it for he feels it
part of him.
Whereat every man likes himself and prefers to bring
it before every thing; so you find him inclined to all of
its commitments and beliefs or to what it is attributed
to; to the degree that this love reaches the level of
extravagance; furthermore more love as well as hatred
are blind and deaf if there is no monitor watching them
and forbidding them from deviating away from the
right. Here, censorship is attributed to reason or
conscience.
The Christians’ extravagance in loving their prophet
is represented in the way they are fond of him to the
degree they gave him a position of a god. On the other
hand others went too for in their hatred towards Jesus
and his Mother to the degree they stuck to them cheap
accusations that God would never approve.
This has been the example of the riffraff or the
example of the people whose passions surmounted their
reason. Ali Ameer Al-Momneen [P] described them:
1Sureh“
The Food” verse 116-117.
54
Two men will die and be punished because of me, one
who loves me extravagantly, and the other who hates
me extravagantly. 1
18th Question:
The Holy Qur’an mentions Allah using the 1 st
person plural pronoun as mentioned in the verse:
Surely We have revealed the reminder and we will
most surely be its guardian 2
Does this connotate that there are other gods in
addition to Allah?
* The Hloy Qur’an did not refer to Allah the Exalted
using the plural pronoun except in some respects, when
it was needed to show glorification to His Holy self as
has been mentioned in the verse we came across,
whereat Allah the Exalted is defying anybody who
might think of altering or changing his book that has
been dictated to the prophet.
Hence we notice that the Holy Qur’an refers to Allah
using the singular pronoun when there is no need for
plural:
Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help. 3
And I have not created the Jinn and the men except
that they should serve Me. 4
In the (prayer of Kumail) which Ali [P] dictated:
(O God I ask you by Your Mercy which contained
everything) 5
19th Question:
1Nahj
Al-Balagha- Wisdom, page 117.
2Surah“ The Rock” verse 9.
3Surah“ The Opening” verse 5.
4Surah“ The Scatterers” verse 50.
5Mafateeh Al-Janan- prayer of Kumail.
55
Why did the Holy Qur’an describe Allah the
Exalted as being the best creator:
So blessed be Allah, the best of the creators 1
Although we have emphasized the Unitheism of
Allah in creation, so, is there another creator beside
Allah Glorified and Exalted be He?
* Creation of things and bringing them into existence
can be done through bringing them from nothingness
on one hand or bringing them from another being on
the other hand. In both cases, creation may be done
independently without requiring assistance from any
other potency, and this is limited to Allah in Whose
creation there is no partner.
In other cases creation may come from nothingness
or from something existent, but this is done through
acquiring aid and potency from Allah to achieve the act
of creation. Such a case is possible to some other than
Allah, as it happened to Jesus [P] who achieved
miracles by creating birds from mud for the people by
the permission of Allah, but in reality this creation
belongs to Allah.
Hence, Jesus [p] and others who may create are
called “creators” only metaphorically, for the true
creator is Allah and no one else, thus He is the best of
the creators. 2
The 20th Question:
What do you know about the qualities of Allah the
Exalted?
The Believers” verse 14.
2We refer you to the book (God and the Belief), page 40-41,
persian, and the book (Almeezan).
1Srah“
56
* We recognize the qualities of Allah the Exalted
from the innovation of His making and the glory of His
creation. Reasonable people are accustomed to
evaluating others through surveying their ethical and
scientific achievements, by means of collecting notes
about these works; they judge the people either
positively or negatively.
The same procedure can be followed as a way for the
general recognition of the qualities of Allah the
Exalted.
Through the existence of life in His creatures we can
judge that He is Everliving, and through the grace of
reason which Allah granted to man to enable him to
recognize the right from the wrong and to differentiate
between the beauty of things and their ugliness, we
concluded that Allah is just and fair and He does not
judge people except by justice.
Thus was the case with other qualities of perfection;
as a result we shall put our hand on every quality of
defect that is not appropriate to the Holy being of
Allah, so as to negate that it belongs to Him; like death
quality opposite to which we had proved the quality of
life; or oppression as a quality opposite to which we
had proved the quality of justice, furthermore through
proving the inevitability of His Being by evidence we
could negate composition, ignorance, incapability and
any thing that may attribute deficiency to Allah,
Exalted be He from that.
According to this classification, the first group were
called (the Positive Qualities), or (Qualities of
Perfection) or (Best Names), while the opposite group
are called (Negative Qualities) and (Glorification
Qualities).
The positive qualities are also called (subjective
Qualities) or (Active Qualities).
57
The Subjective Qualities are concepts derived from
the Divine self because they contain a form among
forms of perfection, like life, potency, and knowledge.
(Active Qualities) are concepts derived from the kind
of relationship and connection between Allah the
Exalted and his creatures like calling Him (the
Bestower).
The major difference between qualities of action and
subjective qualities is:
The godly being approves the subjective qualities,
while the qualities of action express a kind of a
relationship between Allah the Exalted and his
creatures; so the Divine self and the creatures form both
sides of the equation, like describing the Exalted of
being (The Bestower, The Creator…etc); so the creator
and the creature and the proportion existed between
them must be realized, thence it will be correct to call
the Exalted (Creator), this is very unlike the subjective
qualities, for if we take the quality of life for instance
and try to give it to Allah it does not demand more than
the godly being as a resource to drive that quality, we
do not need another side that enables the mind to derive
it.
At the time we investigate the qualities of Allah the
Exalted, we emphasize too that as much as we go into
research and investigation into the Holy Qualities of
Allah we can not reach to detailed knowledge of them;
any attempt from this kind will- no doubt- meet failure
for it is an attempt to know the nature of he absolute,
infinite being of Allah which is impossible even to the
prophets and the guardians; for how could a limited
creature realize something that is infinite and absolute.
Yes, we can prove a quality in a general way without
getting into details, we might say- for example- that
Allah is knowledgeable and His knowledge is
nonfinite; He is Whole potent and His potency is
nonfinite…etc; such a quantity to prove the qualities by
58
means of reason is possible and attainable because it
does not put limits to His knowledge or His potency,
rather this thesis proves the existence of nonfinite
knowledge and unlimited potency.
Even the narrations that are narrated by (the people
of the House) 1which speak about the qualities of Allah
would not exceed these limits thus the aim of some
tales becomes clear; it is prohibiting people to
investigate the self of Allah, because such a research
will lead the researcher to nowhere and delude him
forever.
21st Question:
Can Allah be described by measures of bodies,
hereafter saying he is a body or a light, or He can be
seen, or He is static or dynamic..?
* Heretofore we have proved in our previous
research that Allah the Exalted is an essential existence
in His self and qualities; and any attempt aiming to
attribute defect to him is rejected completely because it
contradicts a central issue in (Unitheism research)
represented by being an (Inevitable) Existence. If we
would have said that Allah is a body, this means that
He has three dimensions, therefore He is limited and
compounded of multiple parts, and the compound
requires his parts to be compound.
And if we would have said that Allah is a light this
will also mean that he is a body, for physics scientists
had proved that light belongs to the world of matter and
to the bodies. It is improper too to say that Allah is a
1People
of the House: The progeny of the prophet Muhammad
including Fattema, imam Ali, Hasan, Husain, and their
descendants.
59
spirit, for a spirit is created and it requires a creator; it
is improper to describe the Exalted as being static or
dynamic, for these qualities necessitate that a thing is a
body; i.e. anybody is either static or dynamic. No
doubt, everything that has been said heretofore
contradicts the hypothesis that Allah is an essential
existence. Thus we can interpret the word light
mentioned in the gracious verse:
Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. 1
Saying that it came as comparing him reasonable by
the sensate. As the light-by means of its continual grant
reveals the things that are unseen for the seer in
darkness; the same is the glamour of Allah, in creating
and innovating his creatures, it is a cause to reveal
them.
What has been said that Allah is a spirit according to
the gracious verse:
So when I have made him complete and breathed into
him of My Spirit, then fall down making obeisance to
him. 2
Is completely rejected, for breathing the spirit into
Adam [P] does not connotate that the self of Allah was
a spirit which he breathed into Adam; rather, it
expresses that the spirit which Allah breathed into
Adam belongs to Him the Exalted for He has created it,
also, this does not mean that it was part of him and then
it was separated from Him and transferred to Adam.
This is similar to saying:
I gave my book to Zayed
The speech here does not signify that the book was
part of the self of the speaker then he took it and gave it
to Zayed.
1Surah
2Surah
(The light) verse 35.
(Suad) verse 72.
60
What has been said that, it is possible to see Allah
the Exalted and that it is possible to see him and that He
is a body according to His speech:
Therefore whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should
do good deeds. 1
And His speech:
And your Lord comes and also the angles in ranks. 2
And His speech:
The hand of Allah is above their hands. 3
And all that is said concerning these verses as
mentioned above is wrong. For if reason believes in an
idea and the external connotation of a verse from the
Qur’an signifies the opposite, it is necessary then to
measure up this external connotation according to
definite reason in case the verse might accept more than
one significance for the mind determines strongly that it
is improper and illogical to consider the Exalted as one
of the bodies or a being of the living existence…
although the verses mentioned above can be explained
as follows.
The word (meet) in the first verse may mean to meet
the grace of Allah; and the word (comes) in the second
verse may mean that the Godly order came while the
Angles were standing in order, i, e one next to the other
to receive it. The word (The hand) in the third verse
may be taken as a metaphor expressing the superiority
of the power of Allah on any other power.
What we have said is assured by the verse:
He said: You cannot (bear to) see Me. 4
And the verse:
1Surah
(The Cave) verse 110‫ز‬
(The Daybreak) vrse 22.
3Surah (The Victory) verse 10.
4Surah“ The Elevated Places” verse 143.
2Surah
61
So indeed they demanded of Mussa a greater thing
than that, for they said: show us Allah manifestly; so
the lightning overtook them on account of their
injustice. 1
Hence, we can realize the secret that made the
(Kallam) Scholars insist that Allah can never be a place
for events and transitions, for whatever might be, as
such will be itself changeable; also they insisted on
negating that He is a body for this entails that He is
limited. 2
22nd. Question:
How can we prove that Allah is alive and that He is
knowledgeable and His knowledge is endless?
* We can prove the life of the Exalted through the
life of His creatures; for he who bestows life to others
should be alive Himself; he, too, knows of everything
that (is) and that will (be); fir the creatures are but an
act from His acts, and their existence have been
achieved by His will, so He knows them by means of
existentialist knowledge, i, e (the known) is present
with Him and it does not require a certain knowledge –
from His part- to recognize it.
That is only because, whatever that is less than Allah
and beneath Him is only a gift out of His gifts, and an
act of His:
Women” verse 153.
2I refer you to the book (God and Belief) page 56-65 in
persian and other books of (Alkallam) in this respect.
1Surah“
62
And with Him are the keys of the unseen treasures
none knows them but He, and he knows what is in the
land and the sea; and there falls not a leaf but He
knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor
anything green nor dry but (it is all) in a clear book. 1
As long as we are limited to our existence and in
everything that belongs to us, no doubt then our
knowledge is determined according to our limited
means of knowledge; while the knowledge of Allah is
absolute and unlimited due to the absolute unlimited
existence of Allah Himself.
The more man is equipped with means of
knowledge, the more capable he will be in collecting
data, but at the end they will remain deficient and
limited.
And above every one possessed knowledge is the AllKnowing one. 2
Suppose we sit in a room surveying through a small
hole in the wall a military march; we will be able to
behold this procession according to the size of the hole;
the larger the size may be, the better the vision will be.
Anybody who will be situated on a height and the
army troops are running under this height, he will have
a more comprehensive vision from above that will
contain all the procession without missing anything on
the spot. No wonder then if we say that the knowledge
of Allah contains everything in earth or heaven as long
as existence, as a whole, is in His hand and under His
supervision.
23rd. Question:
What does Allah’s hearing and sight mean?
1Surah
(The Cattle) verse. 59.
verse 76.
2Suraha”Yusuf”
63
* Allah’s hearing and sight are not like our abilities
to hear and see, for we hear and see through the ears
and the eyes which are instruments to achieve this. The
case with Allah is different because He is not a body;
for admitting this will determine that he is limited and
deficient.
Man can only hear the sounds whose frequency is
between 4%-8% micron, he can not hear what is less or
what is more than this range.
So is his vision; man, for example; can not see the
infra red ray nor the ultra-violet. Man can only see what
his eyes see. So, is it possible to say that the hearing
and seeing of Allah are similar to ours?!
If hearing and seeing mean realization and
recognition through sounds and external images; for
Allah the Exalted, they are possible without the
assistance of sight and hearing systems because all
existence- in all that it contains- is but an act of his acts
that are present and known to Him through
existentialist knowledge, therefore He does not need
means and requirements to attain the knowledge of
things through them.
Hence imam Sadique [P] said:
(He is a hearer without a sense and a seer without an
instrument. 1
Using both items (hearer) & (seer) in this way
signifies that his vision and hearing are infinite and
unlimited, rather they are endless:
And be careful of (your duty to) Allah and know that
Allah sees what you do) 2
This is because Allah has never changed a favor
which He has conferred upon a people until they
1Behar
2Surah
Al-Anwar- volume 4, page 69, tale 15, chapter 1.
(The Cow) verse 233.
64
change their own condition; and because Allah is
Hearing, Knowing; 1
24th Question:
How do we describe Allah as Willing?
12-
* The Scholars of (Kallam) interpreted the (will of
Allah) as being:
Either the act of creating things and bringing them
into existence, thus when we say that Allah wanted
something it means that He crated it.
Or it may mean His Knowledge of things.
No one can interpret the (Will of Allah) according to
the will of man, (i.e. according to the same criteria of
measuring up man’s will); for it depends on two points:
Classifying and notifying the benefits and the
drawbacks of the thing that is desired to be created.
Coming with desire and enthusiasm to achieve it.
Both introductions can not be attributed to the
Exalted for they dictate deficiency to Allah, Who is
above any defect or deficiency.
25th Question:
What does describing the Exalted as the (Speaker)
mean? And is the speech of Allah, new or old?
*
Speaking and articulation of man are done
through the tongue and the throat into a range and a
frequency that the speaker himself decides while
speaking, according to the form of speech.
When we attribute the quality of (the speaker) to
Allah, this should mean His ability to produce a sound
and to communicate it to whom He chooses to
1Surah
(The Spoils of War) verse 53.
65
communicate with; hence describing Him as a
(Speaker) means that He can bring words into
existence, but the speech itself is only a creation of his
creations. This is the only reasonable interpretation of
the gracious verse:
And to Muse, Allah addressed his word, speaking (to
him) 1
But interpreting that (Allah is a speaker) as people
speak is rather problematic as it is clear.
If we have agreed, now, that Allah’s speech is one of
His creatures, so it is irrational and unreasonable to
consider it old, for such an assumption will necessitate
multiplicity of the olds, and this is polytheism by all
that it means. 2
This, in addition to what the holy Qur’an declared as
being (a new reminder).
There comes not to them a new reminder from their
Lord but they hear it while they sport. 3
(Reminder) as has been mentioned in other verses is
the holy Qur’an itself:
Surely We have revealed the Reminder and will most
surely be its guardian. 4
And most surely it is a reminder for you and your
people. 5
1Surah
(Women) verse 164.
2Translator note. Islamic ideology is built on the assumption
that Allah is the Only Old; any thing beside him is new, of
course this includes His speech and words for they are His own
creation.
3Surah (The prophets) verse 2.
4Surah (The Rock)verse 9.
5Srah (The Embellishment) verse 44.
66
According to this; (speaking) as a quality is old if it
is meant to describe Allah’s potency of creating sounds,
whereas it becomes new if it is meant to describe the
sounds which Allah brings into existence through His
speech to the creatures, for these sounds are His
creation.
This conclusion compromises the old dispute
between (Al-Ashera) and (Al-Muttazela) 1 about the
speech of Allah and whether it is old or new for the
purpose of which great bloodshed and killings took
place without any result or a justification.
26th Question:
Potency is one of the subjective qualities of Allah
the Exalted, we want to know the limits of this
potency, and can it reach the zone of the impossible?
A-
* We must define the (impossible) before answering
this question:
The word impossible is used to signify two things:
The normal impossible. B- The rational
impossible.
By normal impossible we mean; the impossibility of
achieving a certain work or project for the lack of
necessary conditions to achieve it. This is represented
in a man trying to lift a rock that weighs 2000 kgs with
his bare hands and without any suspension equipment.
It is quite impossible for the man whose power and
potency we are well acquainted with, to lift such a rock,
but he can do it if he employs a poly or any suspension
equipment, such tools might be considered conditions
for achieving this impossible.
The rational impossible means the impossibility of
achieving something in any form, for it is itself
1Tow
old Islamic sects that no more exist. Translator.
67
ABC-
impossible, not that it demands some condition or
quality to come into existence; like brining two
contradicting opposites together or lifting them
together, this in itself is impossible and it has nothing to
do with anything else.
Example: If a teacher asks his pupil to make 2x2=5,
his request will be completely improper, for however
the pupil thinks or tries, he will not get this result and
the reason for this is not his incapability and dullness,
rather because it is rationally impossible and does not
concern the potency of any potent however it might be.
After this it becomes clear that Allah’s potency does
not concern things that are themselves rationally
impossible. Imam Ali [P] once had been asked about
the potency of Allah to make something impossible;
“Can your God put the world in an egg without making
the world small or the egg big?”
Imam Ali [P] answered:
(Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He is not attributed
to incompetence; the thing you asked is not possible) 1
Hence there will be no place to ask questions like:
Can Allah create another god to share with him His
sovereignty?
Can Allah create a rock which He will not be able to
move from its place?
Can Allah insert the camel into the needle eye?
We attract the attention of our brilliant reader to the
question that had been addressed to Imam Redha [P]:
(Can your God put heaven and earth in an egg?)
The Imam [P] answered 2:
(Yes, He can put them even in something smaller
than an egg; as a matter of fact, He had put them in
your eye which is smaller than an egg, so when you
1Behar
Al-Anwar volume 4, page 143 tale 10, chapter 4.
2Imam Ali Al-Ridha – the eighth Imam of the twelve opostlic
Imams. Translator.
68
open it you can see heaven, earth, and what is between
them, he might have blinded you about them if he
wanted) 1
The Imam’s answer here can be considered a
deterring reply, for he wanted to silence the inquisitor
and to deter him from suspecting the potency of Allah
the Exalted. A clear answer might have perplexed the
inquisitor’s mind then might have become reason for
his delusion and deviation instead of teaching and
converting him.
The Imam’s reply might mean that an egg can
contain the world either by making he size of the world
the same size of the egg or vice-versa, thence a hen egg
may contain the world.
Once again we assert that the potency of Allah can
be recognized in the normal impossibility, for the
Exalted can arrange the circumstances and the
conditions needed to achieve the impossible whatever
and however they might be.
The case differs in relation to the rational impossible,
for it is unable to exist or to be made by itself; Allah’s
potency has nothing to do with it.
27th Question:
Can we give Allah names that have not been
mentioned in the Holy Qur’an or referred to by the
gracious Prophet [P] or by the twelve apostolic Imams
[P]?
* There is no objection about giving Allah the
Exalted names that have not been mentioned by the
Holy Jurist on condition they do not attribute any defect
or deficiency to Him, as our saying that He is an
essential existent although it is a name that is not
mentioned in any jurisprudence reference, this is also
1Tawheed
Al-Sadoque page 130.
69
applicable to any other good quality which we may find
fit for ourselves- but we should cancel first any quality
of deficiency or defect it may contain before we
attribute it to Him.
But, in general, it is better to avoid indulgence in this
topic, especially to the people who are not religiously
knowledgeable. We may stick to using the names that
are familiar and well known. What has been said about
the verse:
And Allah’s are the best names, therefore call on Him
thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity
of His names; they shall be recompensed for what
they did. 1
Specifying that it prohibits giving the Exalted names
made by the imagination of the people is not correct,
for reasons relating to the Arabic lingual structure and
morphology 2 used in describing through the best
names.
Here, the gracious verse addressed the polytheists
exclusively, for they showed their heathenism by
calling (the best names of Allah) to their idols, thus
they tended from the right to the wrong calling their
idols (Al-Lat0 which is a name that is driven from the
name (Al-Elah) which means Allah; (Menat) which is
derived from the word (Al-Mennan) which means the
bestower, in a reference to Allah; (Al-Uzza) which is
derived from the word (Al-Azeez) referring to God.
The polytheists meant by this behavior to raise the
prestige of their idols, at the same time degrading the
position of Allah, forgetting that ( the best names) are
1Srah
( The Elevated places) verse 180.
2Explaining this needs elaborate explanation of the nature of
those names which is not our concern here, translator.
70
for Allah, and every beauty belongs to the beauty of the
Exalted. 1
28th Question:
What is the aim of creating man?
* The (aim) is an item given to express the purpose
which may give who reaches its holder some kind of
prophet, like the merchant who aims to gain advantage
from his merchandise; or like the reward or moral
ecstasy which the bestower seeks when he donates to
the poor.
No doubt that the (aim) - in this sense- cannot be
attributed to the absolute (Self-Sufficient) Self of Allah:
O men! You are they who stand in need of Allah, and
Allah is He who is the Self-Sufficient, the Praised
one. 2
The aim of creating the world is the destination that
Allah has decided for the creature to get a benefit and
an interest that serves the creature thereby.
After this introduction let us investigate the aim that
all creatures seek after their creation and bringing them
from nothingness into existence.
It is clear that existence is more honorable than
nothingness, so man like animals and inanimate gained
this honor; furthermore he gained the grace of life
which is better than death and superior to it, animals
shared this grace with him, but man still more gained
superior ranks of honor, virtue, perfection and elevation
to surmount the rank of animals and bohemianism
reaching an endless aim that would never cease,
represented in reaching Allah the Exalted, willingly.
1For
more information I refer you to the book (Al-Elahiat)
volume 2, page 494-499.
2Surah (The Originator) verse 15.
71
O man! Surely you must strive (to attain) to your
Lord, a hard striving until you meet Him. 1
Man’s tendency towards perfection is the peak of
this march towards absolute perfection. All people –
with no exception- like and seek the beauty of things,
trying by all means and ways to attain it.
He, who seeks the truth looks for knowledge, and he,
who seeks wealth looks for money, and that who seeks
beauty, his soul will tend for the beauty of nature and
the attractive forms in it, and that who seeks goodness,
his soul will tend to everything that is good to inhale it
and characterize it in his manners and conduct. All
those, return to one axis and one common factor, which
is none but Allah the Exalted; for He is the resource of
every perfection, hence you find that even the
materialists tend-by their nature- to absolute perfection
which is Allah the Exalted whereat they do not feel it,
for this reason they try to prove that the ultimate matter
of the universe is old, not invented; for their nature
dictates their submission to the existence of an absolute
Being that is infinite, but alas they deviate from the
right and surrender to passion, so Allah misleads them.
The result is that man is created for perfection and to
attain the highest ranks of superiority, this can never be
achieved but through maintaining the morality of Allah
and the submission to His orders and prohibitions, so
that man’s conduct will be a Pegasus that will take him
to the highest and most superior ranks. Thus we find
that the Holy Qur’an draws the aim for which man is
created, being noting but worship:
And I have not created the jinn and the men except
that they should serve Me.2
1Surah
2Surah
(The Bursting Asunder) verse 6.
(The Scatterers) verse 56.
72
Worship is the clearest feature of obedience and
submission to Allah, the servant wants to declare
through showing allegiance to his sire that he- with all
his belongings- is a property to his Master.
If the concept of servitude is attained, the
commitment to what the Adorable requires from us,
will- no doubt- be attained.
On the other hand, servitude to Allah loses its
meaning and connotation if it is accompanied by
rebellion and disobedience to what the adorable
requires from his servant; hence the holy Qur’an
emphasizes that the prayer- which is the clearest form
of worshipping Allah the Exalted- deters man from
indecency and evil.
Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and
evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the
greatest, and Allah knows what you do.1
According to this we can put every activity that we
practice in our everyday life under the title worship,
even if it is as simple as lifting a stone from the way of
pedestrians if we mean by it approaching Allah the
Exalted.
What has been said that the aim of creating man is,
settling social justice on the evidence that all prophets
came only to achieve this purpose as has been
mentioned in the gracious verse:
Certainly we sent our apostles with clear arguments,
and sent down with them the Book and the balance
that men may conduct themselves with equity; and we
have made the iron, therein is great violence and
advantages to men. 2
Is not correct, for social justice is not an independent
goal by itself, rather it is an introduction to pave the
1Surah
(The Spider) verse 45.
(The Iron) 25.
2Surah
73
proper way for applying the worship concept in its
perfect form; which means –in turn- attributing and
dedicating every virtue and good deed to the concept of
worship.
Under this title, purification, education and morality
that the prophets proclaimed, those are no more than
canals that lead us to the spring of glory, to Allah, so
that we may worship Him the proper worshipping.
We emphasize once again that Allah’s worshipping
means approaching the Exalted, and getting part of His
qualities and perfection in an amount that our
allegiance and obedience qualify us for Him, so we
shall attain the whole grace and good; for all the grace,
the good and perfection belongs to Him 1:
Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly
to Him who originated the heavens and the earth, and
I am not of the polytheists. 2
Say; surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life
and my death are “all” for Allah, the Lord of the
worlds; 3
No doubt every existent has his own aim for which
he has been found and which represents his perfection.
An apple tree has been made to give fruit. The stages
between its prime and its death, including its greening
and following are not the ultimate aim for it, if this tree
did not fruit for an illness or so, it would lose its aim,
rather its existence would be harmful for the negative
effect it inflicts on other trees.
So is man; he is found to reach a super intention that
represents his perfection; this intention –according to
what has been narrated to us by the prophecy mouthpiece and (the progeny of Muhammad) [P.]- is the
1But
they are transitional goals and an introdution for bearing
fruit which is its ultimate aim.
2Surah (The Cattle) verse 79.
3Surah (The Cattle) verse 162.
74
approach to Allah the Exalted; for approaching Him
means attaining all the beauty and perfection that is
situated in the self of God the Exalted.
Whatever man does between his prime and his death
is futile unless it is connected to what is afore it and
what is after it until he reaches the last of all
destinations, which is none but approaching Allah the
Exalted. 1
O man! Surely you must strive (to attain) to your
Lord, a hard striving until you meet Him. 2
CHAPTER
II
1We
refer you to (lectures in Islamic Ideology) volume 3.
(The Bursting Asunder) verse 6.
2Surah
75
JUSTICE
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE
BENEFICIENT THE MERCIFUL
*****************************
Chapter II
“The Justice of Allah”
29th Question:
Justice is one of the positive qualities of Allah the
Exalted. What does this quality mean to Shiite
Moslems1 and why did they make it an independent
origin of religion?
1Shiite
Moslems: an Islamic sect that believesin the right of
the progeny of Muhammad [P] to rule the Islamic world.
Translator.
76
123-
* Ali Bin Abi Talib Ameer Al-Momeneen [P] said:
(Justice puts things in their right place) 1
The justice of Allah the Exalted in our ideology is
manifested in the world of creation and the world of
legislation whereat we notice the accuracy of making
and perfection of composition; hence we only
recognize the harmony and discipline of the world.
The prophet [P] said:
(By Justice, heavens and earth were established) 2
We notice too that all Divine regulations were put in
the most perfect form, giving the most accurate
meaning, whereat we find harmony with nature;
maturity, absoluteness and happiness for mankind.
To guarantee the accuracy of applying legislations
Allah promised those who do good of a reward,
meanwhile He threatened those who do evil of a
punishment, thus no one comes to Allah unless he got
his reward; the vicious will be sentenced with no
extravagance and the righteous will be crowned with
coronets of glory and admiration for what they have
done, and Allah has still more to grant.
There is no place to suspect the justice of Allah the
Exalted after what we have asserted heretofore that He
is an Essential Existence in His self and qualities. i, e
He is never expected to be unjust; for an oppressor
adopts oppression for one of the following reasons 3:He is ignorant of the act of appression itself.
He knows it is an act of oppression but he
is compelled to do it.
He knows it is an act of oppression, and he
is not compelled to do it but he is in need of it.
1Behar
Al-Anuar- volune 75 page 350 tale 59 chapter 81.
Al-Laale, vol.4, the Big Interpretation by Imam AlFakher Al-Razi volume 5, page 346.
3Refer to Duroos fe Al-Qur’an, Muhsin Quiraati; justice.
2Awali
77
4-
He knows it is an act of oppression, and he
is neither compelled to do it nor in need of it,
but he does it for revenge or is doing it just for
fun.
All these reasons do not fit the arena of Allah the
Exalted, who said:
Surely Allah does not do injustice to the weight of
an atom. 1
Say: the provision of this world is short, and the
hereafter is better for him who guards (against evil);
and you shall not be wronged the husk of a date
stone.2
Surely Allah does not do any injustice to men. 3
Imam Ali [p] said:
(He elevated Himself not to do His servants injustice,
establishing justice in his creation; and in His
judgment about them He, too, is just) 4
The secret that let the (Shiites) give this quality a
separate independent origin is:
(Al-Ashaera) interpreted the justice of Allah in a
way that leads to negate the belief in His justice, while
the (Shiites) have strongly confronted this belief
classifying justice as a separate origin of religion to
emphasize the great importance of this quality in the
life and future of people, as it shall be explained
hereunder.
30th Question:
1Surah
(Women) verse 40.
(Women) verse 77.
3Surah (Yunus) verse 44.
4Nahj Al-Balaghe. Speech 85.
2Surah
78
What is the point of disagreement between the
(Shiites) and ( the Ashaera) concerning the justice of
Allah?
* The point of disagreement between the (Shiites)
and the (Ashaera) is manifested in the belief of the
(Shiites) that reason is wise enough not to attribute any
misdeed to Allah meanwhile attributing all good deeds
to Him the Exalted; what reasonable people consider
good unanimously should be delivered by Allah, like,
honesty justice, generosity…
On the other hand, what reasonable people consider
bad unanimously should be renounced by Allah like,
dishonesty, oppression injustice, and inflecting harm on
others.
The (Ashaera) disagreed about this, denying the role
of reason in determining what is good or what is bad of
Allah’s deeds and qualities. According to them, the
good is what Allah considers good and the bad is what
Allah considers bad because:
He cannot be questioned concerning what He dose
and they shall be questioned.1
It is strange enough, that although the (Ashaera)
admit the role of reason in determining some instances
of the good and the bad,2 yet they deny that reason can
determine the nature of the deeds and qualities of Allah
the Exalted, they go as far as denying some
unquestionable respects about which, reason can never
make a mistake; here in above we have mentioned
some of them.
I do not understand how anybody could cancel the
role of reason in this respect, although reason is the
1Surah
(The Prophets) verse 23.
2Refer to (Usool Al- Fequh) volume 1. Muhammad AlMudhaffar.
79
evidence between Allah and His servants, as the
Messenger [p] said:
The Prophet is the evidence of Allah to His servants,
and reason is the evidence between Allah and His
servants. 1
I do not quite realize how does Allah do the evil and
injustice while He Himself prohibited us from doing it;
Himself forsaking-meanwhile-doing the just and the
good towards which He had directed us.
Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the
doing of good (to others) and the giving to the
kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and
rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be
mindful.2
Imam Sadiq [p] said:
Justice is never to attribute to Allah What He has
reproached you for.3
The (Ashaera) had mistaken the (Shiite) for
thinking that they had put an obligatory judgment on
Allah when they i. e (the Shiite) emphasized that Allah
must do the good and forsake the evil; as the way a
master-God forbid-obliges his servant to do something.
In fact, reality was something else, for the (Shiite’s),
intention here is similar to negating that number (5) is
the outcome of (1+1), for the outcome is (2) and not
(5).
Thus the obligatory negation of ignorance-for
instance-from the Holy Being of Allah means nothing
more than that the Being of the Exalted cannot accept
1Refer
to (Al- Kaffi), volume 1 page 25.
2Surah (The Bee) verse 90.
3Refer to (Usul Al- Kaffi) volume 1 page 442.
80
the characteristics of deficiency, hence they should be
negated from such an Absolute Superior Being.
I wonder, how could anyone believe in what the
(Ashaera) Proclaimed, that reason-for example-cannot
decide that Allah may tell lies depending on the dogma
(He is not asked about what He dose while they
are),furthermore on their plea that (The (good) is what
Allah considers good and the (bad) is what Allah
considers bad).
Is this not a retardation of the reason by means of
which we realized Allah the Beneficent? Does not this
belief justify and connotate that if Allah sent the good
and righteous to hell, and the bad and vicious to
paradise He would have only done what is right?! Will
there be any hope for the believers, after this hypothes,
or rather any confidence in the promised paradise?
Perhaps they will only be put to hell and bitter torment
instead of the paradise they were promised of!! Thence
nobody would have the right to object, for there is a
ready answer:
As long as Allah has done this, so it is good,
according to the rule that says: (the good is what
Allah considers good and the bad is what Allah
considers bad).
According to what have been mentioned about the
(Ashaera’s) interpretation of the good and the bad,
nobody would accept their belief in the justice of Allah
the Exalted.
31st Question:
Now that we have believed in the justice of Allah the
Exalted, may we inquire, what is the reason for the
bad ominous events and painful calamities that
takes place everyday everywhere bringing about a
lot of killings, casualties, and property loses?
81
* We answer this question by several replies, herein
below their summary:
A- It ought to be taken into consideration that there
are interests and drawbacks of which man has no
knowledge therefore they should not be judged raidly
as (negative) or (positive).
A tourist may wish that the weather in winter should
be sunny with no rain to enjoy his trip; while the farmer
looks forward anticipating the rain fall so as to irrigate
his plantation.
No doubt there is some reason in Allah’s affairs and
deeds. We might consider some act wicked while in
reality it is good and has a special grace from the
Exalted; as the way it happened to (Moses) and his
ostensible judgment of three situations done by AlKhedher [p] who was a faithful servant of Allah, thus,
Moses in every situation declared an objection; finally
he discovered the real reason for those behaviors.
B- Allah established the whole existence on the
discipline of (causes and results, hence He made a
cause for everything.
No doubt that establishing the universal system on
such a discipline has a great advantage that will exceed
the interest overlooking of it for a partial interest. An
instance for this may help us to understand it; suppose a
big stone is about to fall on the head of somebody, the
decline of it is delayed so the man concerned avoided
death or any other harm.
Yes, the unseen Hand may master the universal
system if there is a great interest behind it, and in very
exceptional cases, the way Allah the Exalted supported
the Moslems in the battle of (Bader)1 by invisible
soldiers when Moslems were in urgent need for this
1Bader;
the first battle that took place between the Moslems
and the polytheists. Translator.
82
support by means of which they might have
strengthened their existence in their prime round with
the polytheists.
Surveying what have been said up to now, the causes
and effects must take place with no interference or
impediment.
If a baby is born deformed, his deformity ought to
have a certain cause, such as that the mother-for
example-had been taking a certain kind of a drug
during her pregnancy which inflected harm on the
embryo; or for any other natural cause.
There are some sins because of which the sinners
themselves will suffer, thus they themselves will bear
the responsibility of their sins:
This is for what your own hands have sent before and
because Allah is not in the least unjust to the
servants.1
In reference manifesting that there are sins and
disobediences which necessitate certain kinds of
punishments:
O my God! Forgive my sins that violate the
immunity; O my God! Forgive my sins that befall the
wrath of heaven; O my God! Forgive my sins that
alter the graces; O my God! Forgive my sins that
withhold prayer; O my God! Forgive my sins that
evoke calamity…2
C- An event or a catastrophe might be an alarm bell
to awake the absent-minded humanity. We do not know
exactly what would have afflicted the human kind due
to ignorance, corruption, and pride, had it not been for
the catastrophies that bounded the pleasures of the
fools.
1Surah
(The Family of Imran) verse 182.
Al- Janan, Kumail’s prayer.
2Mafateeh
83
People, in the peak of their indulgence into the
mundane pleasures of earth and its fakes; and amidst
their delusion from nectar of heaven; such people, need
to be invited to the manna of heaven and the grace of
the Prophet. Certain events play this role faithfully,
they are reminders!!
This is for the rebellious; for the believers-on the
other hand-these calamities represent a test; the more
man’s belief in God increases, the more he undergoes
such a test, thus, until the test (by means of calamities)
reaches a degree that suits the Prophets-for the test is a
degree for them; while for the (Wallis)1 the test is a
prestige. Ali-Ben-Abe- Talley [p] said:
The calamity test for the oppressor is a lesson, and for
the believer it is an examination, and for the prophets
it is a higher degree, and for the Wallis it is a
prestige.2
D- There might be a role for events and calamities in
creating a solid individual or strong society that can
withstand to face the dangers and defend their
principles whatever the price may be.
Imam Ali [p] said:
The wild tree has a stronger trunk, while the domestic
evergreen tree has a tenderer skin.3
32nd Question:
Why are there, the differences we see among the
people concerning their level of living, their
brilliance…etc?
1Wali:
An Arabic word that has no equivalent in English, but
it is very close to (Imam) which (sometimes) may mean (apostle)
Translator.
2Behar Al- Anwar volume 67 page 235. Tale 54 chapter 12
3Ibid-volume 33 page 453, Tale 686, chapter 29.
84
* Man-by nature-is civilized, furthermore he needs
to establish relationships and connections with others in
a way that satisfies his necessities and provides his
every day life needs; this can never be attained unless
there are differences among people in respect to their
cultural level, economic level, social position,…etc,
thus the people will go to the merchant to buy the
goods they need; the merchant will go to the baker to
get his bread; both, merchant and baker-will go to the
mason to get their houses built; all of them will turn to
the physician and the farmer and the teacher, and so on
and so forth until everybody participates in providing
the necessities of life and prosperity:
We have exalted some of them above others in
degrees, that some of them may take other in
subjection;1
The economic differences which we notice between
different ranks of people in spite that the graces of
Allah on earth are numerous and countless to the
degree they may suffice the people and exceed their
needs; those differences are only due to bad distribution
adopted by the corrupt regimes; and due to the
selfishness that characterizes some people, in addition
to missing the moral values and deviating from the
ideologies of heaven.
And Your Lord is not in the least unjust to the
servants2
Thus, our mundane life became an arena for
calamities and examinations; the wealthy must assist
the poor, the poor must be patient and must not give in,
the sick and the handicapped must refer to Allah and
hold to their own; that who could not make but a bit of
living must have satisfaction; and all people with no
1Surah
2Surah
(the Embellishment) verse 32.
(Ha Min) verse 46.
85
exception must stick to righteousness and absolute
submission to Allah the Exalted. For if Allah considers
this life worth for Allah the wing of a fly, He would not
have given it to the nonbelievers and the fornicators; it
is no more than a foodstuff for a short journey, and a
rapid dream that will pass so soon; it is as short as the
blink of an eye when is compared to the hereafter and
the eternal happiness and best of all is Allah’s goodly
pleasure.
(If ever Thy affection proves true, everything else
will prove worthless, and everything that is beneath
sand will be, No more but sand;
O: I wish prosperous will be what is between Thee
and me, Waste, let it be that is between others and me)1
33. rd.Question:
How can we compromise our proclamation that
Allah means good for man in spite of the fact that He
has created Satan and the lusts and the wicked soul;
which all in all formulate causes and assisting factors
encouraging man to delude, and fornicate and
violate?
* As long as man owns his free choice to adopt his
own march towards Perfection; there are only tow ways
that he ought to tread; hence he will have to confront
Satan, passion, and the lusts, and if ever he beats them
he will climb his way of perfection attaining the title of
(the most honorable creature) due to his patience and
ability to bear difficulties in tracing a way that was full
of calamities, examinations, and sufferings.
Man’s lusts and instincts, including of which his
sexual lust, play an important role in keeping and
maintaining the human existence; else more they- in
addition to Satan, and the passion of the soul-form
1Two
lines of old Arabian mystic poetry.Translator.
86
active factors that affect man’s equation of perfection
and his approach to Allah.
Hence, Allah creates only what is good and does not
mean but good for his servants, but His creation of
good is accompanied so often by the existence of evil,
I-e. His initial intention is generating the good no more,
but evil accompanies it for the good is conditioned by
the evil, but for this conditional company Allah would
not have created evil at all; this is similar to the instinct
of affection towards the progeny of man; if man would
not have had this emotion we would not have found the
care and love of the parents towards their small ones,
and catastrophies would have poured on the human
kind until they would have eradicated it.
Needless to say that there are sides effect coexisting
with this instinct, so when ethical and divine
commitment demolish, this instinct will turn that
excessive passion towards man’s progeny into a sort of
adoration and idol worship which will make them
forget to worship Allah, furthermore it will create
egoism and selfishness in them so they will think of
nothing except their small ones as if there is nothing in
the world but them.
The prime aim and advantage for which Allah
created this instinct in man is the good and nothing
more, but because of man’s negligence some evil arose
with it.
Finally we emphasize that Allah the Exalted is
generous to His servants and He has favored them with
His graces and they have no right to object to Him if he
confiscates any grace He had bestowed. In comment on
this, it has been said that Allah has done the people
injustice when He regained or confiscated His grace;
for is He not a giver for no price? Does not he take and
regain without any oppression? This is close to the
example of a man donating a present for somebody and
prohibiting it from somebody else; such a giver should
87
not be asked; why have you favored Mr. (X), while you
have forbidden Mr. (Y) from your donation?
Mr. (Y) here has no right initially to ask the giver to
donate to him; people are free in using their money the
way they like.
34th Question:
What is the nature of Moslem’s interaction with the
dogma of destiny? 1
* Destiny as an idea and dogma, had been and still is
the axis of people’s interest generally, and the men of
thought particularly, for its vital importance in their life
and their fate.
This quest was never outside the interests of the
gracious prophet [P] and the Progeny of Muhammad
[P], rather they had tackled it thoroughly, teaching their
apostles its symbol and whereases.
The Prophet [P] said:
(Five men will never be answered: one of them is a
man who passed under a leaning wall, knowing that it
will fall on him, yet he did not move fast until it fell on
him...) 2
It has been narrated that Imam Ali [P] avoided
walking under a leaning wall, preferring to walk under
another wall whereat he was asked:
O! Ameer Al-Mumeneen; do you run away from the
destiny of Allah?
He said:
(I run away from the destiny of Allah to the destiny of
Allah glorious be He)
Destiny as a dogma used to be one of the beliefs of
the polytheists before Islam, but it used to assume
1refer
to (Destiny) J’afar Subhani.
Al-Sadooque page 349.
2(Al-Tawheed)
88
determinism, negating man’s freedom of choice. The
causes of this dogma- in the way we described- were
purely religious:
Those who are polytheists will say, If Allah had
pleased we would not have associated (aught with
Him) 1
In the same verse the Holy Qur’an replies to them:
Even so did those before them reject until they tasted
Our punishment, say: have you any knowledge with
you so you should bring it forth to us? You only
follow a conjecture and you only tell lies. 2
And they say: If the Beneficent God had pleased, we
should never have worshipped them. They have no
knowledge of this; they only lie. 3
After the coming of Islam, some people-including of
which-(Beni-Umia) 4 interpreted the destiny dogma by
terms of confiscating people’s option; their aim from
such a misleading interpretation was never religious;
rather it was motivated by purely mean political
designs.
History registered a situation between (Mu’awia) 5
and (Abdullah Ben Omar) in which he emphasized his
interpretation of destiny related to obligation and
negating any freedom of choice; he defended his son
Yazeed saying:
1Surah
(The Cattle) verse 148.
2Ibid.
3Surah
(The Embellishment) verse 20.
4(Beni-Umia) a progeny that ruled over the Islamic world for
less a century. Translator.
5Mu’awia ben Abi Suffian, the first Caliph of the Umi’a
progeny who usurbed the right of the progeny of Muhammad.
Traslator.
89
(Yazeed’s command is a part of the destiny of Allah,
the servants have no choice, they have to obey). 1
When (Aysha) 2 objected about (Yazeed), (Mu’awia)
answered her in a reply that is similar to his first reply
to which we referred hereinbefore.
It is really regrettable to notice that the foes of
religion and some orientalists invent charges and false
evidences by means of which they reproach Moslems
replying on the (obligation) dogma which is adopted by
people who were foreign to religion, or by others who
were parasites living on religion.
I do not understand why do Moslems rush to (AlJehad)3 arena sacrificing themselves to protect their
dogmas and values and calling the people
enthusiastically for the betterment of their conditions,
anticipating paradise and the pleasures of Allah, if
those Moslems find (obligation) as a term in their
dictionary?!
It is meaningless to do all this, and other duties that
are similar to it-if Moslems are obliged to their acts and
behavior. Would it be reasonable to get ready and work
hard for doomsday, hell, paradise, and the Day of
Judgment if we have no free choice?
Are not our actions related to us for better or worst?
I do not quite understand wherein did some people
give themselves the permission to accuse religion of
being the opium of people in spite that religion never
overlooked any chance unless it pushes its followers
and apostles to resist oppression and stand against
oppressors.
1(Al-Imamet-wal-Syaset)
Ibn Khutaeebah page 171.
The youngest of the prophet’s wives. Translator.
3Al-Jehad: A branch of religion meaning struggle against the
foes of Islam. Translator.
2Aysha:
90
O prophet! Urge the believers to war. 1
And fight with them until there is no persecution, and
religion should be only for Allah. 2
And prepare against them what force you can and
horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the
enemy of Allah and your enemy. 3
Moslems during the dawn of Islam did not miss this
meaning; it has been narrated that Allah’s Messenger
[P] gathered the Moslems one day, consulting them
about waging a war or not; one of them, who was (AlMequdad-Ben Omar) said:
“O! Messenger of Allah go ahead for what Allah has
ordered you, we are with you and by God we shall not
say what the Israelites said to Moses: go therefore you
and your Lord, then fight you both, surely we will here
sit down; rather we shall say go therefore you and your
Lord, then fight you both surely we shall be with both
of you fighting as long as we have an eye that blinks. 4
The major problem of the destiny dogma according
to the Moslems is; they differed about interpreting its
meaning after they admitted that it has an original
existence in the Holy Book and the gracious example of
the prophet [p].
35th. Question:
What do the following items mean (fate, destiny
determinism, Entrusting [Taw-fidh]?
1Surah
(The Spoils of War) verse 65.
(The Cow) verse 193.
3Surah (The Spoils of War) verse 60.
4(Tareekh Al-khames) volume 1. Page 373.
2Surah
91
1-
* A. Fate (Al-Quadh’a) meaning; intention and
accomplishment. 1
Linguistically speaking (Al-Quadh’a) has so many
meanings. 2
Creation:
So He ordained them seven heavens. 3
The word (ordained) here means created.
2-Command:
And your Lord has commanded that you shall not
serve (any) but Him. 4
3- Information:
And We had made known to the children of Israel. 5
4- Settlement by judgment:
And Allah judges with the truth. 6
5- Getting something done and finished:
The matter is decreed concerning which you inquired.
7
B- Destiny (Al-Quadar); which means estimation
and putting the limits of things before bringing them
into existence. 8
further information I refer you to (Shareh Aqu’aide AlSadooque) page 19. (Tawheed Al-Sadooque) page 385. Mufredat
Al-Ragheb Al-Asfehanni page 406) (The Maquaees) v.5, page
99.
2The word (destiny) in English has two Arabic equivalents
(Al-Quadha) and (Al-Kadar), these two has several connotations.
Translator.
3Surah (Ha Mim) verse 12.
4Surah (The Israelites), verse 23.
5Surah (The Israelites) verse 4.
6Surah (The Believer) verse 20.
7Surah (Yusuf) verse 41.
8Refer to (Al-Mequaees) volume 5, page 63, (MufredatAlRagheb) page 395.
1For
92
Surely We have created everything according to a
measure. 1
C- Obligation: meaning confiscating the freedom of
choice of somebody or something to do and achieve
something related to (him) or to (it).
Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should
overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day;
and all float on in a sphere. 2
D- Entrusting [Tafwidh]:
Which means that all creatures are totally
independent from Allah in their acts and conduct,
negating the influence of Allah on any act they do. 3
36th Question:
What is the dogma of those who believe in the
(determinism) and those who believe in the
(entrusting)?
* (Al-Ashaer’a) who believe in the dogma of
determinism, think that all acts of the people are totally
related to the Exalted; all movements states are caused
by Allah; man has no role here at all.
They refuged to this doctrine escaping that they
might fall in the trap of the entrusting dogma, which
may lead to negate (The formative godlihood) from
Allah the Exalted, thus falling right into the delusion of
polytheism.
If we refer to reality, we shall find that those people
have tackled the mistake by another mistake; we, on the
11Surah
(The Moon) verse 49.
2Surah (Ya Seen) verse 40.
3Refer to (Mufredat Al-Ragheb), page 387.
93
other hand, find ourselves obliged to reject this dogma
for the following reasons:
1- Assuming that people are obliged in their deeds
and conduct, heaven, hell, and servitude to Allah will
be meaningless; we have mentioned this hereinbefore.
In this respect we refer to what the poet said:
(He has thrown him chained into the water, telling
him; Beware, beware not to get wet by water)
2- Deep in our consciousness we feel that we are not
bereft of option; like the way blood flows into the
veins, the heart beats, the planets circling in their
spheres. These things are made to work according to
godly functions entrusted that is for them.
3- This idea contradicts what the Holy Qur’an
mentioned about man attributing all of his deeds to him
according to his own free choice:
Every man is responsible for what he shall have
wrought.1
You shall be requited only (for) what you did. 2
Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns. 3
Those who stick to the theory of (entrusting), namely
(Al-Mutazelah) had gone the opposite way of the
(Ashaera), asserting that Allah never interferes in man’s
deeds; He only innovates and creates; as a proof to this,
they depended on the thesis that:
Attributing the actions of the creature to the creator
necessitates relating defect to Him; man, in part of his
behavior, does evil, like oppression for instance.
If we say that man’s actions are attributed to Allah,
this will mean that He is-God forbid- unjust.
1Surah
(The Mountain) verse 21.
2Surah (The Mountain) verse 16.
3Surah (The Clothed One) verse 38.
94
We notice about this dogma that it bereft Allah the
Exalted His authority on His servants in their deeds, a
thing that we absolutely refuse; for the effect can never
be separated from its cause as long as it exists, and even
if we assume that it can forsake its cause for one short
while; this thing will turn from being (a possible
existent) into (essential existence); this is similar to the
pen movement which is caused by the hand movement,
but for the hand movement the pen will be completely
motionless.
By our present replay we do not want to respond to
the dogma of (entrusting) neither will we assert what
the (Ashaera) believe in, namely (determinism) dogma;
for we believe in a medicore solution that the school of
the Progeny of Muhammad [P] adopted which had been
articulated by the Imam (J’affer Ben Muhammad AlSadique) 1
(No determinism and no entrusting, rather in
between) 2
still more will come in relation to this opinion.
37th Question:
What is the (Shiism) opinion about the (destiny)
dogma?
* Hereinbefore we have said that (fate) i, e ( AlQuadha), means intention and accomplishment, while
(destiny) i, e (Al-Quadar) means estimating and
putting the limits of things before bringing them into
existence.
A rapid view to the quarters of the universe will
show us the strong and solid connection among its
integral parts according to the system of (cause-effect)
1The
sixth Imam of the twelve Apostolic Imams. Translator.
volume 4, page 197 tale 2, chapter 3.
2(Behar-Al-Anwar),
95
and its law; this law confirms a series of causes that
lead to the (cause of all causes) who is none but Allah
the Exalted Glorious be He. Behind every event and
everything and every phenomenon there is a cause that
had brought it into existence. Allah determined that
things must take place according to their causes in a
perfect design and splendid wisdom; this is the
connotation of the two idioms (fate) and (destiny) in
our dogmatic books.
A stone that falls from above, blood that flows in the
veins, the sun that runs in its orbit; rain that falls from
the sky, man when he eats, drinks, deals with every day
life positively or negatively..etc, all these things take
place decidedly by the fate (Quadha) of Allah the
Exalted and according to His destiny (Quadar), for
everything that has been mentioned above- and other
things that are similar to it- run according to an
authenticated law and never happen haphazardly or
accidentally, and no doubt that every cause with
whatever cause that is prior to it or after it is brought
about by Allah the Exalted; this is another assertion to
(the Unitheism of formative godlihood).
Allah meant to make man free in deciding his fate
and choosing what improves his condition in this life.
The nation that turns to dullness, stagnancy, comfort,
and never feels its historical, human and religious
responsibility when it finds the oppressors turning
about its fate; such a nation will only meet humiliation,
disgrace and defeat.
On the contrary; prestige, elegance and honor a waits
the nation that rejects suppression and carries on its
responsibilities, in both cases, the fate and destiny of
Allah is represented, for the Exalted Himself composed
the equation that formulates man’s life and his conduct
towards what goes on around him, according to this
examples and law.
96
This is very similar to the case of a patient who
suffers pains from allover his body; if he neglects his
case his health will deteriorate, and if he consults a
physician and sticks to his instructions, he will gain
recovery.
Thus, the will of Allah made man free to choose the
way of good or the way of evil so as to harvest the
fruits of his efforts at the end, but never away from the
will of Allah and his care, for the Exalted Himself
wanted man to be free in his choice. Man’s behavior
and choice of his destiny are never taken away from the
will of Allah the Exalted, at the same time man is never
obliged in his deeds so as he would not have his own
choice, it is rather in-between as Imam Sadique [P]
said:
(No determinism and no entrusting, rather inbetween)
This is the only reasonable compromise between the
gracious verses and narrations wherein we recognize
man as being bereft of his choice, whereas we notice
that man-in other verses and narration has his own free
will to act, for, as we have mentioned before, fate and
destiny mean:
Allah the Exalted determined the destiny of
everything, He may create something or some
phenomenon that is bereft of its option, and these may
be countless; like the processes of digestion that take
place inside man’s stomach for example.
On the other hand, Allah might create something in a
way that He gives it its freedom of choice and free will
to decide what it. This is applicable to man’s acts and
behavior:
Surely We have created everything according to a
measure.1
1Surah
(The Moon) verse 49.
97
And there is not a thing but with us are the
treasures of it, and We do not send it down but in a
known measure.1
According to this interpretation for fate and destiny
whereat all things and their courses, whatever they are
various, are related to Allah, we come to know the
connotation of the speech of Imam Husain [p]:2
He, who never believes in fate, be it good or bad is a
nonbeliever.3
All our research heretofore tackled destiny and fate
externally i. e attributing the trend of things and
phenomena to Allah the Exalted. To spotlight fate and
destiny related to knowledge meaning the knowledge of
Allah; these idioms mean:
Before things would come into being and existence
they were known to Allah the Exalted, for nothing can
skip His knowledge even if it were not (a being) yet.
This should not be misinterpreted by assuming that
Allah’s knowledge of the reality of things before their
existence would oblige His creatures to their deeds,
bereaving them from their free choice, on the plea that
His knowledge may never retard from reality as it is, i.e
(His knowledge must apply to reality in an
unquestionable determinism); thus, the actions of the
servants must fit this knowledge, whether they wanted
it or not.
Such an assumption is completely rejected, for, in
spite that Allah’s knowledge of the acts of His servants
is old and eternal, preceding these acts, yet this only
connotates that Allah’s knowledge is related to reality
as it is (i, e if reality is bereft of its choice (like the
beats of the heart), Allah’s knowledge of it would apply
1Surah
(The Rock) verse 21.
Husain, the third Imam of the twelve Apostolic
Imams, Translater.
3(Behar Al- Anwar) volume 5, page 123 tale 71 chapter 3.
2Imam
98
to it as it is bereft of choice without altering its being;
and if reality to which Allah’s knowledge is related has
its own choice (like man’s actions of walking or not,
looking at something or not), this knowledge of Allah
would relate to those actions as they are, no more no
less, It would not change their free choice or interfere
in it.
38th Question:
Do not the following gracious verse:
Then Allah makes whom he pleases err and He
guides whom He pleases, and He is the mighty, the
Wise. 1
And what the Prophet [P] said:
(Happy who was happy in his mother’s womb, and
miserable who was miserable in his mother’s womb) 2
Means to assert the (determinism) dogma which the
(Ashaera) chose?
* To find the real answer for the question herein
above, we must recognize (the general conversion)
and (the special conversion).
The general conversion means that; Allah has created
everything providing it with all necessary things for its
march towards its aim and intention for which it was
created:
Our Lord is He who gave to everything its creation,
then guided it (to its goal) 3
1Surah
(Ibrahim) verse 4.
2(Mezan Al-Hekmah) volume 5. Page 129, speech 9533.
3Surah (TaHa) verse 50.
99
Glorify the name of your Lord, the most High, Who
creates, then makes complete, and Who makes
(things) according to a measure, then guides (them to
their goal)1
Man like other existents, has been found for a special
purpose that is represented in his absolute strife to
attain to Allah:
O man, surely you must strive (to attain) to your Lord,
a hard striving until you meet Him. 2
In order that man can achieve this, Allah has
provided him with the means of thinking and
realization:
Have We not given him two eyes; And a tongue and
two lips; And pointed out to him the two conspicuous
ways?3
To guarantee that man thinks in the proper way and
moves forward to reach his aim Allah sent his prophets
promising man to the right way:
Certainly We sent our apostles with clear arguments,
and sent down with them the Book and the balance
that men may conduct themselves with equity; 4
It is clear from what have been said heretofore that,
the necessities of conversion and information aiming
for a certain goal and a desired destination, do not
concern a single individual or a certain group alone,
rather they are comprehensive and general.
The special conversion: means a special providence
from Allah that relates to certain individuals
exclusively for they have made the most of the light of
1Surah
(the Most High) verse 1, 2, 3.
(The Bursting Asunder) verse 6.
3Surah (The City) verse 8, 9, 10.
4Surah (The Iron) verse 25.
2Surah
100
the general conversion investing what Allah bestowed
on them of the potency to recognize the right (justice)
from the wrong (injustice) through their march on the
right way that the prophets and messengers of God had
drawn from them, thus proving thereby their honorable
example and clear conscience; so they regained a
success from Allah that enabled them to do the good
and avoid the evil in proportion to their obedience and
allegiance to Allah the Exalted; a thing that man can
never attain if he is left to his own without a support
from Allah.
Thus, man gets more success as long as he keeps
away from the prohibitions of Allah, drawing nearer to
His obedience until he attains- by the grace of Allahthe degree of (Issma) i, e. immunity against committing
any error; this error-proof state will keep him immune
in cases of negligence and disintegration, this may
clarify to us the (Issma) as a phenomenon.
And (as for) those who follow the right direction, He
increases them in guidance and gives them their
guarding (against evil) 1
Allah chooses for Himself whom he pleases, and
guides to Himself him who turns (to Him) frequently.
2
Surely they were youths who believed in their Lord
and We increased them in guidance. And We
strengthened their hearts with patience; when they
stood up. 3
No doubt that whoever went away from Allah’s
obedience, neglecting the ways of conversion and
belief, that Allah has provided for him, would not
1Surah
(Muhammad) verse 17.
2Surah (The Counsel) verse 13.
3Surah (The Cave) vrse 13, 14.
101
deserve any kind of special care or conversion, for they
only depend on belief and the good deeds that are only
natural fruits of the general conversion which Allah has
bestowed on mankind.
And Allah does not guide the unjust people. 1
The outcome of man’s injustice to himself is that
man shall be left to his own, wading his way into the
darkness of his ignorance, pride and delusion, away
from justice and right. This is how Allah deludes His
servant.
Surely (as for) those who disbelieve and act unjustly,
Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to a path,
Except the path of hell. 2
But when they turned aside, Allah made their hearts
turn aside, and Allah does not guide the transgressing
people.3
Thus the gracious verse- after declaring the
difference between the general conversion and the
special one:
Then Allah makes whom He pleases err and He
guides whom He pleases, and He is the Mighty, the
Wise. 4
Has nothing to do with the (determinism) dogma to
which the (Ashaera) clung.
Concerning the prophet’s [P] speech about the happy
and the miserable, it can be interpreted by the
following:
Allah knows the misery of the miserable when he is
in his mother’s womb; He also knows the happiness of
1Surah
(Repentance) verse 19.
(Women) verse 168-169.
3Surah (The Ranks) verse 5.
4Surah (Ibrahim) verse 4.
2Surah
102
the happy in his mother’s womb; for He knows the
world of the unknown (the unseen) and the seen. 1
Imam (Mussa Ben Jaffer) 2 has been asked about the
significance of the Prophet’s [P] speech(The miserable
is miserable in his mother’s womb), He answered:
(The miserable is he whom Allah knew that he will do
miserable deeds since he was in his mother’s womb;
and the happy is he whom Allah knew that he will do
the deeds of the happy people since he was in his
mother’s womb.) 3
39th Question:
How do we solve the external contradiction between
the two gracious verses:
(And if a benefit comes to them, they say: All is from
Allah; and if a misfortune befalls them, they say: this
is from you, say; All is from Allah,) 4
(Whatever benefit comes to you “O man!” it is from
Allah, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from
yourself.) 5
Whereat the first verse attributes the good deed and
the bad to Allah, while the second verse attributes the
good deed to Allah, and the bad deed to the servant?
* The good deed that is referred to in the first verse –
by the evidence of its occurrence in the verses of AlJehad-signifies victory and supremacy of Moslems on
1Refer
to (Al-Ilaheeat) volume, 1, page 719-741. By Jaffer
Subhani.
2Imam Mussa Ben Jaffer the seventh imam of the twelve
Apostolic Imams. Translator.
3(Meezan Al-Hekmah) volume 5, speech 9538 page 131.
4Surah (Women) verse 78.
5Ibid verse 79.
103
their enemies; while the bad deed there, signifies the
defeat.
The gracious verse reveals what the hypocrites had
been repeating during the wars and raids of the
Moslems; for they used to say that the victory which
the Moslems gained in (Bader) battle had been given to
them by the grace of Allah; while the defeat that
afflicted them in (Uhud) 1battle was inflicted on them
by the Prophet [P]. They Exalted replied to their
proclamation:
Say: All is from Allah,2
For everything and every phenomenon in this
existence including victory and defeat belongs to Allah
in terms of creation and achievement, for the rein of the
possible affairs is in the hands of the essential existent
and no one else.
Attributing the good deed to Allah and the bad one to
the servant (man) in the second verse, can have the
following meaning.
The good deed is a grace from Allah; but for the
grace of existence and the grace of reason and the grace
of will which Allah bestowed on man, he would not
have realized the meaning of the good deed; He is the
only giver to man even if this is attained by the free
choice and the free will of man.
As to the bad deed-as much as its being and
existence are concerned-it is also attributed to Allah the
Exalted for it is a phenomenon that is only part of the
several universal phenomena, but if we investigate the
impulse and origin, we will realize that man is the
generator and originator of them, in the sense that he
chose the way of evil registering thus the bad deeds in
1(Uhud):
The second battle for the Moslems with the
polythesits in which the Moslems were defeated because they
did not obey the instructions of the Prophet [P]. Translator.
2Surah (Women) verse 78.
104
his book of acts without which no bad deed would have
ever been registered.1
The same reply can be inferred from reading the two
gracious verses that concern conversion; for they say:
Then Allah makes whom He pleases err and He
guides whom He pleases, and He is the mighty, the
Wise.2
Say: If I err, I err only against my own soul, and if I
follow a right direction, it is because of what my Lord
reveals to me; surely He is Hearing, Nigh.3
40th Question:
Now that we have surveyed the idea of (fate) and
(destiny) thoroughly revealing the suspicions around
them, we want to know the reason why do some
narrations forbid anybody from investigating the dogma
of (fate) and (destiny)?
Dose this prohibition mean that there are some
insolvable symbols in it?
* Some of these narrations that are not quite
authenticated signify that it is impossible to reveal the
secret of (fate) and (destiny); other narrations that are
authenticated are rather weak in their significance about
the prohibition mentioned above.
If we accept those unauthenticated narration; they
can be taken on two significances:
A-They refer to a stratum of people whose only
concern was investigating this dogma to the degree they
forgot remembering Allah and his worship.
1
We have summarized this reply from (Al- Ilaheeat) page
709-713 by Jaffar Subhani.
2
Surah (Ibrahim) verse 4.
3
Surah (Saba) verse 50.
105
B-The meaning of (fate) and (destiny) as has been
clarified hereinbefore may lead some people to go deep
into investigating the secrets and wisdom of the
existence of some things; if they never find satisfactory
answers about them, suspicion might creep into their
souls about the origin of Allah's existence and his
wisdom in creation.
Those who are safe from falling into such a trap can
investigate as much as they like about this topic and
those prohibitions do not concern them at all.
41st Question:
What dose the idea of (Al- Beda')1 i. e (revelation)
means to the Shiites?
* Linguistically speaking, (Al- Beda') means the
appearance and revelation of hidden things, (AlRagheb) said:
[A thing (appears) so it is (appearance) meaning it is
(revealed) so it is (revelation)].2 Allah said:
And what they never thought of shall become plain to
them from Allah. And the evil (consequences) of what
they wrought shall become plain to them.3
Anybody reviewing the (Shiite's) opinions and dogmas
concerning the qualities of Allah the Exalted and his
knowledge would not suspect in the least, that they do not
attribute this meaning of (Bed’a) to Allah Blessed be He,
especially that the Holy Quran is full of what negates it
and their ideological books are full of theses contradicting
it; the (Shiites) are rather more enthusiastic about the
knowledge of Allah the Exalted without giving permission
1
(Al- Beda) an Arabic word that has no equivalent in English,
but the nearest meaning to it is revelation, Translator.
2
(Al- Mufradat)- Al- Ragheb page 40.
3
Surah (The Companies) verse 47-48.
106
to any attempt aiming to interpret His knowledge in a way
that attributes deficiency to Him glorious be He.
Allah-surely nothing is hidden from Him in the earth or
in the heaven1
And nothing in the earth nor anything in heaven is
hidden from Allah2
Imam Ali Ameer-Al-Mumeneen [p]3 said (Every secret
to Thee is known and every unseen is seen by Thee)4
Imam Al-Sadique [p] said:
(Anybody who proclaims that Allah comes to know
something He did not know yesterday; bereave him
from commitment to you)5
Narrations in this meaning are countless and they
exceed our present research which we meant to
summarize.
But, in spite of what has been mentioned, it is notable
that the (Shiites) emphasize (Al-Beda) considering it in the
core of religion and the sect, provoking their followers to
believe and have faith in it.
Strange enough that some of our (Sunnis) brethren
considered the idea of (Al-Bada) as being destructive to
religion and does in no way relate to it; hence they went on
berating the (Shiites) for it.
When we go over what the Shiite Imams [p] said, we do
not find any interpretation for the (Beda) except that it is
changing the destiny of man by way of the good deeds or
bad deeds depending on what the Holy Qur'an declares:
1
Surah (the Family of Imran) verse 5.
Surah (Ibrahim) verse 38.
3
Ameer Al-Mumeneen; atitle that means (prince of Moslems)
if ever is given without being preceeded or followed by a name,
it is referring to Imam Ali. Translator.
4
Nahej Al-Balaghah. Speech 105.
5
Behar Al-Anwar- volume 4. chapter (knowledge) page3.
2
107
Allah makes to pass away and establishes what He
pleases, and with Him is the basis of the Book.1
According to what the Imams [P] said, this meaning has
an ethical and educational connotation that pushes
forward, and provokes people to work hard in the right
way to rid themselves from the bitter reality in which
sinners live, for the glimpses of hope that shine into
conversion horizon push people to work hard except those
whose hearts are over dipped into injustice and who have
committed themselves to delusion making it their passage
to hell.
Giving alms, doing goodness, maintaining the blood
relation and being dutiful to one's parents are good deeds
that may change the destiny of man towards the better,
while drinking intoxications, robbery, dishonesty,
treachery…etc, are bad deeds that do affect the destiny of
man shifting its course for the worst.
Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people
until they change their own condition.2
Then I said, ask forgiveness of your Lord, surely He is
the most forgiving: He will send down upon you the
cloud, pouring down abundance of rain: And help you
with wealth and sons, and make for you gardens, and
make for you rivers.3
And Allah sets forth a parable; (Consider) a town safe
and secure to which its means of subsistence come in
abundance from every quarter; but it became ungrateful
for Allah's favors, therefore Allah made it to taste the
utmost degree of hunger and fear because of what they
wrought.4
The Messenger of Allah [p] said:
1
Surah (The Thunder) verse 39.
Surah (The Thunder) verse 11.
3
Surah (Nuh) 10,11,12.
4
Surah (The Bee) verse 112.
2
108
(Nothing Pushes away destiny but prayer, and nothing
extends the age of man except his being dutiful parents,
and man is bereft his sustenance by the sin he
commits.)1
Ameer Al- Mumeneen [p] said:
(The best prayer for those who pray is, faith in Allah,
and bestowing alms secretly; these deeds remove the
sin and extinguish the wrath of God; as well as the
good deeds, for they protect man from dying in a
miserable way and fortify him against humiliating
deaths.)2
Imam Sadiq [p] said:
(Prayer disproves destiny; and the believer commits
a sin for which he is bereft from his sustenance.)3
The Holy Qur'an narrates that the Jewish dogma
concerning the alteration of destiny is; they believe that
Allah the Exalted put a fate for everything; a fate that is
unchangeable:
And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up!4
The Holy Qur'an disproves their proclamation saying:
Their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed
for what they say. Nay, both His hands are spread out.
He expends as He pleases, and what has been revealed to
you from your Lord will certainly make many of them
increase in inordinacy and unbelief;5
According to this, the Jews proclamation contradicts
what the Holy Qur'an and the honorable example of the
Prophet [p] emphasized about the shift of destiny.
1
(Al- Mustadreque) volume L page 493.
( Al- Kaffi) volume 2 page 470.
3
(Behar Al- Anwar) volume 9, prayer book, chapter 16 speech
2
2.
4
5
Surah (The Food) verse 64.
I bid.
109
The Shiites expressed the shift of destiny that is brought
about by good or bad deeds as (Al- Beda'), and I do not
quite believe that our brethren (Sunnis) contradict our
concept of it, and even if there is a slight difference, it is
only a difference in terminology; therefore, let them select
whatever trem or idiom they choose to describe (the
transition of destiny); for it makes no difference to us what
is really important is the meaning of the term; thanks to
Allah we all agree about it.
Now we have to declare the reason that made the
(Shiites) adopt the term (Al- Beda') to signify the transition
of destiny, so we say: This term is used to signify the
transition of destiny for pure rhetorical purposes, i, e the
transition if situations and attitudes according to the Shift
conditions and circumstances of the human being are
called (Al- Beda'); this name too is adopted to express
Allah's Shift to the destiny of His servants due to their
good or bad deeds.
The reason for the metaphorical use of this term to
describe the deeds of Allah as mentioned herein above is
the similarity between the two cases; for a transition of
attitude occurs to man and is similar to the shift of Allah's
attitude towards the deeds of His servants that are related
to the transition of their destiny. This is only a way of
communicating an idea to the others in an appropriate
style- Such a style is not alien to anybody who is well
acquainted with the verses of the Holy Qur'an, for there are
several references to Allah that can not be taken according
to their facial expression to infer their real connotation, as
it may attribute to Allah the Exalted deficiency, hence we
shall have to say that they are only used metaphorically to
describe the Exalted. This can be noticed when we read
about attributing such qualities like, planning, deception,
forgetfulness to the Exalted; thus mentioned in the verses
hereunder:
110
And they planned a plan, and We planned a plan while
they perceived not.1
Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah, and He
shall requite their deceit to them.2
They have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them.3
Definitely, it is unreasonable that Allah is a planner and
a deceiver and forsaking people as have been mentioned
hereinabove; so there should be a metaphorical
connotation for the verses that enables us to attribute them
to Allah as it enables us to call (Al- Beda') to Him the
Exalted.
Noteworthy of what have been mentioned of the
(Shiites) attitudes concerning (Al- Beda') the meaning of
what the sixth Imam (Jaffar Al- Sadique) [p] said about the
death of his son (Ismaeil) becomes clear:
(The clearest (Beda') of Allah is that which is
represented in my son (Ismeail)).4
The meaning of which would be; that Allah has never
changed the destiny of anything as the way He changed the
destiny of Imam Sadique's son, for He made him die
before his father, so that the people would know that
(Ismaeil) is not the anticipated Imam after his father; rather
leadership and Imam hood would turn to somebody else,
namely Imam (Al- Kadhem) [p]5 the youngest son of
Imam (Sadique) [p].6
1
Surah (The Ant) verse 50.
Surah (Women) verse 142.
3
Surah (Repentance) verse 67.
4
Behar Al- Anwar, volume 4, page108, tale 26.
5
Imam (Al- Kadhem) [p] is the seventh Imam whom we have
mentioned some pages before in the name of Musa (Ben Jaffar),
Translator.
6
For further information refer to the book (Al- Ilaheat) Jaffar
Subhni, volume 1, page 563-597.
2
111
CHAPTR
III
112
PROPHECY
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE
BENEFICENT THE MERCIFUL
**************
Chapter III
Researches in the Prophethood of
Muhammad [P]
42nd Question:
As long as we are about to tackle the prophethood
research, we ought to recognize the meaning of the
two items (prophethood), and (revelation), what is the
difference between the Messenger and the prophet?
* Linguistically speaking, (prophethood) is a noun
that has two meanings:
Al-Nubbuwa: meaning height.
113
Al-Nab'a: meaning a piece of information. 1
Both connotations approve the idiomatic meaning
which is (the mission).
(Revelation), linguistically means secret informing,
and idiomatically means; the special way by means of
which Allah the Exalted communicates his messengers
and prophets to inform them of knowledge and colors
of conversion.
This connotation is in harmony with the lingual
connotation, for communication between Allah and His
prophets and messengers has a certain secrecy and
ambiguity which makes it rather foggy for the majority,
for it is alien to the majority style and methods of
communication among each other. 2
Both, messenger and prophet call for the obedience
of Allah by following his commands and avoiding His
prohibitions for the betterment of the mundane life of
people and their hereafter. Both messenger and prophet
prophesy the unseen; but the messenger differs in the
way that he has a special heavenly mission unlike the
prophet. The (prophet) is more comprehensive than the
(messenger); i, e every messenger is a prophet, but not
every prophet is a messenger.3
43rd Question:
What is the reality of revelation i, e (prophecy)?
1
Prophet hood (Al-Nubbwa) in Arabic, this linguistic short
survey concerns the meaning in Arabic; for in English the item
(prophecy) has two connotations; if you refer to the dictionary,
in both of which we are interested in this research. Translator.
2
(Mujez Uloom Al-Qur'an) Dawood Al-Attar page 110,
second edition.
3
Refer to (Al-Meezan) volume 2, page 144-145, and (Bedayt
Al-Maarif Al-Ilahia) volume 1, page 220-221.
114
* It is not possible to realize the reality of revelation
for we do not have a similar equivalent to it so that we
can measure it up to.
It is not strange that there may exist some ambiguous
ways of communication that man can not thoroughly
comprehend.
Was it not impossible for man to communicate
another man in another spot of this world who is
separated from him by ten thousands of kilometers
within few minutes?
The mere idea of the satellite that can take
photographs and collect data and reveal the secrets of
the world was quite unfamiliar to man in the past; this
idea now turned into an accessible scientific axiom,
hence, it is not a wonder that we can say: There is a
special way of communication between Allah and His
prophets and messengers which is called revelation
(prophecy).
44th. Question:
How many ways of revelation by means of which
Allah the Exalted communicates His messengers and
prophets?
* The Holy Qur'an mentioned three ways of
revelation: 1
A- Putting the meaning in the Prophet's [P] heart in
away that makes him feel that it is from Allah. The
gracious Prophet [P] said:
(Alameen Spirit (the angel) exhaled into my
consciousness) 2
1
Refer to (Mujez-Uloom Al—Qur'an) Dawood Al-Attar,
page 111.
2
(Behar-Al-Anwar) volume 5, page 148, tale 13, chapter 5.
115
B- Allah's speaking to His prophets from behind a
veil as the way He spoke to Moses [P] from behind a
tree.
(And to Musa Allah addressed His Word, speaking
"to him") 1
C- Allah may send to the prophet His message by
means of His angel (Alameen Spirit) in the shape of an
angel or a man.
These three ways of communication are mentioned
in the gracious verse:
And it is not for any mortal that Allah should
speak to him except by revelation or from behind a
veil, or by sending a messenger and revealing by His
permission what He pleases; surely He is High, Wise.
2
So many narrations asserted that the Messenger of
Allah has been communicated by these three ways,
especially the second one. Imam Al-Sadiq [P] has been
asked [p]; did it come to him when (Jibreel) the angel
came down to him? The Imam [p] answered:
(No, the trance overcomes him when Allah speaks to
him without any mediator.) 3
45th Question:
What are the reasons for sending the prophets and
messengers if reason is capable of exploring the secrets
of the universe and the world, revealing their laws?
1
Surah (Women) verse 164.
Surah (The Counsel) verse 51.
3
Refer to ( Mujez Uloom Al-Qur'an) Dr. Dawood Al-Attar,
page 111.
2
116
* Before getting involved in the answer we should be
acquainted generally with the difference between the
natural experience and the social experience: 1
1-The natural experience can be attained and
practiced by a single individual; while the social
experience must be attained and practiced by society as
a whole, for it represents an applicable system in a
thorough society, which in itself requires a long period
of time to realize the results of an idea that is applied in
this society, for the sake of which the normal age of
man may not suffice, hence he would have to copy and
infer.
2-The pattern of thinking crystallized through a
natural experience is more objective and honest from
the pattern of thinking that man derives from a social
experience; he who wants to discover a medicine for a
certain illness is not interested one way or another in
hiding and violating the truth, to the social experience;
for man’s nature, his structure, manners, inclinations
and even his ideological tendencies leave their clear
impression on the kind of research he tackles; therefore
seldom do we find the social facts clear and honest
from all of those factors.
Even if we assume that somebody can- one way or
another- separate his thought from those influential
elements that effect the nature of thinking; thus forming
a theoretical thesis through which he can outline the
best social system for people; yet this same man if ever
finds a collision between his private interests and the
commitments that are imposed on him by the truth,
which may bring harm to his interests; he will not find
in himself enough desire to sacrifice his interests for the
sake of others’ happiness, hence he will sacrifice the
truth for the sake of his benefit, making his interests a
criterion to measure up the right and the truth.
1
Refer to (Al-Medrassa Al-Islamiah) Martyr M.B. Al-Sader.
117
From what has been said hereinabove we can say
that: Allah created the animal endowing on it the
instincts that can facilitate all of its needs and affairs in
the way that serves his prescheduled course of life.
On the other hand, although man owns those
instincts that are donated to him by Allah, yet they are
not enough to provide him with all means of peace and
happiness, for he himself is found for intentions and
goals different from those for which the animal is
found, hence Allah bestowed reason on him so he can
deal with the world around him efficiently.
Reason is not enough to push man to his noble goals,
for the happiness that is expected from those goals is
related to a certain program and an accurate living
social plan that is deep and comprehensive to the
degree it reaches every aspect of man’s life formulating
and directing it towards the original intention of
creating man. Man’s reason can not fulfill such a huge
and comprehensive project, neither it can prepare its
fabric, for man’s circle of realization is very narrow and
limited; and although he can realize some items and
facts in the scientific, natural, and theoretical fields of
experience issuing a final judgment about them (like
determining that the angles of the triangle equal 180*,
and that the union of an oxygen atom with two atoms of
Hydrogen makes water, or judging some moral things
as being beautiful or ugly, like honesty and
dishonest…etc); yet a very wide range of facts remains
inaccessible to reason for its defect and incompetence.
There are some social, ethical, legal affairs…etc that
accept more than a judgment; reason remains unable to
determine either of them is more likely and probable.
The best example for this is the economic problem,
for the scientists split into two groups about it, some of
them clung to the capitalist thesis, others emphasized
the communist and social trend; and even if the
problem ended at this stage it would have been
118
acceptable, but the reality that both capital and
social/communist societies lived through, proved that
both parties’ points of view were mistaken.
Capitalism added chains and shackles to the
suffering humanity, enslaving it in stead of liberating it
by its democracy and glimmering fake freedom. The
socialists and communists were not more opportunist
for they have promised people of a (utopia) and a
(happy life) but they liberated them from a trap to
throw them into amore miserable one.
A man who can not realize the nearest thing to him
(namely his soul) is most probably incapable of
realizing the general comprehensive system that
masters his affairs in this life, for such a system is
firmly interwoven with knowing the soul of man and
his inner being so as to decide what is good and what is
bad for it in this life.
And they ask you about the soul, Say: The soul is one
of the commands of my Lord; and you are not given
ought of knowledge but a little. 1
According to this, there is no authority that is
qualified enough to determine what is good for the
betterment of man’s system of living except Allah the
Exalted the creator of man, Who knows what is good
and what is bad for man.
And certainly We created man, and We know what his
mind suggests to him, and We are near to him than
his life-vein.2
Does He not know Who created? And He is the
Knower of the subtleties, the Aware. 3
1Surah
(The Israelites)verse 85.
2Surah (Qaf) verse 16.
3Sureh (The Kingdom) verse 14.
119
We do not deny the role of reason in making the
great achievements and revealing the incredible secrets
in the field of natural experience, but this is not enough
evidence to prove the potency and efficiency of reason
to wade through the social experience and attain the
same results it gained in the field of natural experience.
Dr. Alexis Carl says:
The kinds of governments and regimes that the
theorists, thoughts and ideas formulate are nothing
but houses of sand. The man whom the great
French revolution aims to make and the man who
will build the society of the future according to the
Marxist-Leninist vision, neither of whom is
realistic.
We must not forget that the laws that regulate
the relationships among people are up till now
unknown; while Sociology and Economics are
deficient sciences up till today, rather they are
(semi-sciences).
According to this it becomes evident to us that
the environment which we made around us by the
aid of science is not quite suitable for us, for we
have found it accidentally without sufficient
knowledge of the human nature and without paying
any attention to it) 1
Jean Jacques Rousseau in this respect says 2:
(To settle the best laws there must be a whole
comprehensive brain surveying all the desires and
lusts of man without feeling them, else more It must
have no relation to nature yet It recognizes it
thoroughly, furthermore Its happiness must not
1(Man
2(The
that is Unhnown), Alexis Carl. Page 30.
social Contract). Jean Jacques Rousseau page 81.
120
depend on us but It is ready to support us to attain
this happiness. 1
46th Question:
Do the prophets differ from one another in their
prestige and position before Allah, and how can we
compromise the connotation of the two gracious
verses:
We have made some of these apostles to excel the
others.2
We make no difference between any of His apostles;3?
* From our point of view as Moslems, every prophet
that Allah the Exalted has sent to His servants, has his
special esteem and prestige, and if the name of anyone
of them is mentioned it is glorified by saying (peace be
on him) for they are the envoys of Allah and we do not
deny the prophet hood of any one of them in favor of
another; unlike the Jews and the Christians who used to
exchange accusations between each other:
And the Jews say: The Christians do not follow any
thing (good) and the Christians say: The Jews do not
follow anything (good). 4
1In
answering this question we depended on the following
references:
One- (Questions in the Zone of Prophet hood) page 5-8, in
Persian.
Two- (Al-Elahiat) volume 2, page 2-46, Jaffar Subhani.
Three- (Usool Al-Aqua’tde Fi Al-Islam) volume 2, page 19-77
M. Al-larry.
Four- (Al-Aquida Al-islamiah) volume 2, page 17-39 M. Al.
Yazdi.
2Surah (The Cow) verse 253.
3Ibid verse 285.
4Surah (The Cow) verse 113.
121
We say that (we make no difference between them)
for all of them are the prophets and messengers of
Allah who came to proclaim the right from their God.
Meanwhile, we think that the spiritual and personal
rank (i. e position) of every prophet differs from the
other; hence certain tasks are attributed to each one of
them which differ from one to another. This is the
connotation of the gracious verse:
We have made some of these apostles to excel the
others. 1
Which we have just mentioned here in above. 2
47th Question:
Why were most of prophets shepherds?
* A narration from the progeny of Muhammad [P]
says:
Allah has never sent a prophet unless he makes him a
shepherd to teach him the way to guard and look after
people.3
Maintaining the duties of a shepherd for a prophet
requires a lot of patience and endurance; when the
shepherd attains such an amount of balance, endurance
and patience while practicing his career this will
definitely enable him to achieve his missionary task so
as to convert the people and lead them to the way of
1Surah
(The Cow) verse.
2Refer to (Questions in the Zone of Prophet hood) in Persian.
3(Safeenat Al-Behar) volume 2, page 565.
122
right and good, rather such a job would be easier
thence.
On the other hand, a shepherd during doing his job is
in a continuous contact with the splendor of nature and
the wonders of Allah's creations, whereof he will be
instigated to meditate into the fathomless horizons of
Allah and His endless glory, whence a deep contact to
the spring of Divine grant and Existence, is created in
him.1
48th Question:
Why did the Prophets not respond to so many
people who were asking them to bring special kinds of
miracles other than the miracles they have brought?
* There have been several reasons for their refusal;
we summarize them in the following:
1- Some people were nonbelievers and heathens who
insisted on their atheism so they were but concerned in
falsifying the prophet, whatever his miracle might be as
the way the heathens and the polytheists had done to
the gracious Prophet [p] although his miracles were
clear:
But (now) when the truth has come to them from us,
they say: Why is he not given the like of what was
given to Musa? 2
2- Some People used to think that the Prophet's
major task is answering the needs and necessaries of
the people through his miracles forgetting that the
Prophet relies on a miracle just to prove his
prophethood and that he is an envoy from Allah the
Exalted:
1
2
(Questions in the Zone of Prophethood) in Persian, page 22.
Surah (The Narrative) verse 48.
123
Say: The knowledge (thereof) is only with Allah and I
am only a plain warner.1
And it is not in (the power of) an apostle to bring a
sign except by Allah's permission.2
3- Other people thought that the prophet cannot
attain his position of prophethood unless he is rich and
wealthy;
Or (why is not) a treasure sent down to him or he is
made to have a garden from which he should eat?3
The question happened with (Al- Waleed Ben AlMugherah) who spoke to the Messenger of Allah [p]
about the truthfulness of his prophecy. Al- Waleed set
forth a parable saying that if the king of Persia sends an
envoy, this envoy should have mentioned wealth,
decorum and pride, else more he would have owned
palaces, servants and courtiers for he is close to the
king therefore he should maintain such appearances;
nothing to say about the envoy of the king of kings (i, e
Allah), how come he does not keep them?!
Such people (like Al-Walled) miss that such qualities
have nothing to do with the prestige of prophethood, for
the prophet's task is converting people, leading them to
their betterment, not that the prophet came to
demonstrate his power, wealth, authority and
superiority above people.
4- Some prophets were asked to achieve some
impossible things:
And when you said: O Musa! We will not believe in
you until we see Allah manifestly 4
1
Surah (The Kingdom) verse 26.
Surah (The Thunder) verse 38.
3
Surah (The Criterion) verse 8.
4
Surah (The Cow) verse 55.
2
124
And as we have declared in the research of
Unitheism herein before that, reasonably impossible
things can never be related to the potency of Allah;
seeing Allah the Exalted manifestly is an example of it,
for it is not possible to assume that He is an Essential
Existence supposing meanwhile that He is visible;
seeing things is conditioned by their possibility.
5- Sometimes the people ask the prophets to prove
their prophethood by calling down the wrath and torture
of heaven although we realize that such a request
contradicts the nature of the mission of those prophets
who were only sent as a peaceful grace to the people
rather than a revenge and wrath upon them.
6- Others asked the prophets to bring forward
miracles similar to that which were brought down by
the prophets prior to them:
And when a communication comes to them they say:
We will not believe till we are given the like of what
Allah's apostles are given. 1
In spite that the intention of any miracle is to certify
the prophethood of God's envoy, rather than presenting
miracles according to the audience's request, yet the
Holy Qur'an requited them saying:
Allah best knows where He places His message. 2
3
49th Question:
1
Surah (The Cattle) verse 124.
Ibid.
3
Mr. Subhani numerated ten reasons for the prophets
behavior; refer to his book (Mafaheem Al-Qur'an) volume 4,
page 95-153.
2
125
How can we differentiate the miracles of the
prophets from some eccentric phenomena achieved by
magicians, soofies and hypnotists?
* We can differentiate the prophet's miracles from
those of magicians, hypnotists and soofies by a number
of things1:
1- When a prophet shows his miracle he does not
need learning or practice to attain it, while others
require drill to show what is exceptional, the Indian
soofy who can lie on sharp nails could only do this by
means of his long, hard drill.
2- The miracle as a phenomenon can not be attained
but by a prophet, while magic, hypnotism, soofy doings
can be repeated by others; anybody can turn a rope into
something similar to snake when he spellbinds the
audience, after passing through certain exercises and
drills. But he is unable to cast his stick, as the Prophet
Moses did, and so it became a snake and it swallowed
up the lies they told. For magic differs in its reality
from the miracle which belongs to Allah's will,
greatness and ability.
3- Magicians and the like are not accustomed to defy
others to bring forward miracles similar to theirs, and if
anyone of them tries to do this he will meet failure and
defeat; while we notice the prophets of Allah were
always bringing miracles defying-at the same time- the
others to bring miracles similar to them, the way our
gracious Prophet [P] defied the polytheists when he
revealed the miracle of (Al-Qur'an):
Say: If men and jinn should combine together to
bring the like of this Qur'an, they could not bring the
like of it, though some of them were aiders of others. 1
1
Refer to (Pursishhai Peeramoon Nibuwat) in Persian page
77-79.
126
4- Magicians and the like could only show limited
phenomena due to what they have learned through drill
and practice He who can stop the train by merely
pronouncing the word (stop) –as they say- can not show
another phenomenon, while the prophets were
answering the peoples' request bringing to them any
miracle they want- putting into their consideration the
public interest; the way it happened to (Saleh) the
prophet [P] who had brought down a she-camel with
her child when his people demanded it as a proof to his
prophet hood, without any prior alarm.
5- The prophets differ from other people in their
spiritual and moral level, furthermore, their reformative
opinions and their firmness and honesty to attain their
goals add another factor that differentiate them from
others. This is prominent to any body tracing their
history and their militant strife to convert the people
and lead them to the right way, wherein they have
exerted everything that is worthwhile without
anticipating this mundane world or aspiring small aims
or running after mirages; rather they were mostly
running away from this world and its embellishment,
they were far from seeking titles and fame and putting
on airs; thus, a stranger who would attend to where the
Prophet [p] and his apostles used to sit could not
recognize him [p] for he [p] used not to choose
prominent seat for himself the way kings, noblemen
and heads of tribes used to do; furthermore he was
humble, sitting modestly like servants among his
apostles and followers opposite to the conduct of
magicians and the like far are the stones of earth from
the stars of the sky.
This method of noticing and collecting evidences and
proofs may be considered a way to recognize a prophet.
1
Surah (The Israelites) verse 88.
127
The first one who adopted this method was the
Caesar of Byzantium when he received a letter from the
Messenger of Allah [p] calling him for Islam; the king
looked for a man who was well acquainted with the
gracious Prophet [p] so that he could be sure of his
answers about what the prophet [p] was proclaiming,
meanwhile (Abu Suffian)1was is Syria then for his
commerce, thus he was summoned to the court of
Caesar; the king asked him about the details and
whereabouts of Muhammad's life, when he finished his
investigation he addressed (Abu Sufian) saying:
I wish I would be at his presence to wash his feet, go
for your business.
(Abu Suffian) said:
(I left him, and went wondering and saying: O!
servant of Allah, Muhammad really ruled over his
people; even the kings of Bani-Al-Asfar (i, e
Byzantian) are afraid of him in their own kingdom in
Syria)
The details of this conversation have been related by
(Al-Tabbari) second volume, events of the sixth year
(Hejrah).2 3
50th Question:
What are the ways that prove the prophethood of a
prophet?
1
(Abu Suffian) A man from the nobility of (Quraish) who
was a relative to the Prophet [p] yet he was his bitter enemy.
After the conquest of (Mecca) he turned a (Muslim). He is the
father of (Muawia) the founder of the (Umia) dynisty which we
mentioned before. Translator.
2
(Behar Al-Anwar) volume 20, page 384-386.
3
(Hejrah) means the (migration) of the Prophet and his
apostles from (Mecca) to (Al-Medina). From this year of
migration on started the Islamic year and the Arabic calendar
Lunar year. Translator.
128
* It is quite logical that any proclamation for any
subject must be authenticated by a convincing
evidence, so that the others will accept it, and it will
turn profitable.
Prophet Hood as a phenomenon is a very important
matter to the human kind, therefore they would not
submit to anybody claiming that he is a prophet without
proof and evidence.
(Al-Kallam) Scholars mentioned three ways that are
suitable to recognize a prophet and differentiate him
from others , hereunder are these ways in short:
1- The miracle.
2- What a prior prophet foretells about a later
one.
3- Considering the evidences and profs that
characterize anybody claiming prophethood, to
judge him- by means of which- later on,
negatively or positively.
Hereinbefore we have tackled the third way in point
(5) in answering question 49. As for the first and the
second way we shall tackle them later if Allah wishes.
51st Question:
What is the miracle?
* The miracle is a supernatural thing that approves
the proclamation and is accompanied by a challenge
that defies all creatures to do something similar to it. 1
According to this definition, (the miracle) is a super
natural thing rather than an (Ultra reasonable) thing
which is impossible normally like lifting a rock that
weighs (3000) kgms with one bare hand. Such an act is
1
(Al-Ilahiat) volume 2, page 214, Jaffar Subhani.
129
unlike the reasonably impossible thing, thus the
(reasonably impossible) thing can never be achieved by
itself, therefore it is unattainable; while the (normally
impossible) thing only impossible in the normal
circumstances and because of missing some conditions
that are essential for its existence.
Lifting a large and heavy body like the throne of
(Balquees)1 and transferring it from one place to
another one hundreds of kilometers far away from it in
short moments is something (normally impossible) but
it was done by someone who partially knows the
secrets of the (Holy Name of Allah) thus answering
(Solomone) the Prophet [p]:
I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye.2
The thing that we call (normally impossible) is not
against the logic of reason, all the matter is that; the
necessary circumstances for its achievement are not
available, so is the case with the miracle, it takes place
within the zone of (normally impossible) things rather
than (reasonably impossible) things.
So many super natural phenomena have been
accomplished by the (Walies); but they must not be
called miracles, for this name is given to the super
natural phenomenon whose maker claims prophet hood;
while other phenomenon that are accomplished by
(Walies) of Allah and those whom (He) sought to
bestow his affection on, are called (Caramahs) [honors]
to differentiate them from the miracles, even though
they come from the same origin which is the (unseen);
Marium [P] used to have her food at her abode at the
house of (Zakariya):
1
(Balquees) According to the Holy Qur'an is a queen that
ruled over (Saba) in the (Yemen) during the reign of Prophet
Solomone, Translator.
2
Surah (The Ant) verse 40.
130
Whenever Zakariya entered the sanctuary to (see) her,
he found with her food. He said: O Marium! Whence
comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely
Allah gives to who He pleases without measure. 1
Definitely this is a supper natural matter, but it is
never called (miracle), rather it is called (Caramah)2,
for (Marium) then did not claim prophethood.
Anybody who claims prophet hood must support and
prove his proclamation by evidences, one of which is
the miracle. If anybody claims that he can accomplish
something supernatural to certify his (proclamation)
then he could not accomplish that thing, this, in itself,
will disapprove his proclamation, the way it happened
to the fake prophets in the Arabian history namely,
(Mussaylima Al-Kathab), (Al-Aswad Al-'Ansi),
(Tulaiha Ben Khuailed), (Sujah Al-Tememiah). 3
52nd Question:
Is the miracle (as a phenomenon) contradictory to
the Law of (cause) on which is built all civilizational
and ideological human structure?
* The phenomena that rise from their own causes
can never be attributed exclusively to the (material)
causes that are well known to everybody- or at least to
a small stratum of scientists-; rather it may not be
possible to recognize a (cause) for a certain
phenomenon merely for the inability to explore and
1
Surah (The Family of Imran) verse 37.
(Caramah) an Arabic noun that has no English equivalent,
but we can define it as a miracle on a small level; we may say it
is a grace or an honor, from Allah. Translator.
3
Al-seerah Al-Naboyah), Iben Husham volume 2, page 600,
(Tarekh Al-Tabbari) volume 2, page 396-500, (Ijaz Al-Qur'an)
page 199-200.
2
131
discover it; this- in itself- should (not) be considered an
evidence to prove the nonexistence of a (cause) for
such a phenomenon; the absence of the touchable
feeling does not connotate its nonexistence.
Under this description we put the miracles of the
prophets [P]; the (causes) they adopted to bring about
their miracles might have been material but, they were
hidden (causes) that others would not realize.
To clarify this we set forth an example. An
agronomist who has experience in producing the fruits
ahead of their normal time that is familiar to everyone
can-for reasons relating to his skill- accelerate the
growth of a certain plant making it give fruits seven
years a head of its predeterminate time, while the
farmer knows nothing about these (causes) and
(reasons) and they are completely unknown to him;
anyway they are unquestionable and firm facts in spite
that farmer does not know anything about them; such
miracles may rely on a special kind of substantial
causes which the limited human brain can not realize
and comprehend.
The (causes) from which a miracle erupts might also
be merely unseen (causes) that are not related to the
material world, yet they represent touchable reality in
the metaphysical world; anyway they are (causes) that
are part of other (causes) but they are unknown and
nonmaterial.
Hence, there is no contradiction between the miracle
as a phenomenon and the law of the (causes); rather it
certifies it.
53rd Question:
Why was man-after the Muhammadian missiondeprived from the miracles which had a major role in
coverting the people and determining their juncture
with the unseen world?
132
* Modern man is never deprived from the providence
and tenderness of Allah; thus he is not forbidden from
those super natural phenomena that keep him in touch
with the unseen world pushing him forward to a
balance and commitment with Allah's legislations and
laws.
As much as every age has its prodigy that keeps
people closely connected to Allah and pushes them
towards faith and belief, so is our age whence we can
see the immortal miracle of the (Holy Qur'an) that
extends along history- time and place- playing the same
role that the previous miracles had played; this Holy
Book has defied and still defies the masters of literature
and eloquence and rhetorics to write something similar
to it, but can they really do it?!
Say: If men and jinn should combine together to
bring the like of this Qur'an, they could not bring the
like of it, though some of them were aiders of others. 1
Is not this heavenly gift enough to push man in the
ways of peace and goodness?
54th Question:
In answering the 50th, question hereinbefore, we
mentioned that one way of distinguishing a genuine
prophet is the evidence given by a prior prophet about
his prophethood, can you explain to us the meaning
of this?
* If the prophet hood of a prophet has been certified
by proof and evidence to us, then this same prophet
claimed that another prophet will follow him
determining his name and characteristics, and after
some time the first one went and the second one came;
1
Surah (The Israelites) verse 88.
133
this will definitely assure us that the second one is a
genuine one for he carries the same name and
characteristics that were predetermined by the first one;
for what the first one had said is an unquestionable
evidence that compels us to believe, for we are sure that
he is unerring, never lying or forgetting and he never
commits any mistake that might degrade his prestige as
a prophet.
Our Master Jesus [P] foretold the prophethood of the
gracious prophet Muhammad [p] 1 as has been
mentioned in the Holy Qur'an:
And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of
Israel! Surely I am the apostle of Allah to you,
verifying that which is before me of the Tavrat and
giving the good news of an Apostle who will come
after me, his name being Ahmad: 2
55th Question:
What are the characteristic of the miracle of the
Prophet of Islam [P]?
* A miracle usually is proportionate to the average
standard of the sciences and arts that are familiar to the
people so as the challenge might be more effective and
impressive to their souls in order that more adherents
and followers are gained.
Thus, the (cane) of Moses [P] and his (white hand)
were miracles defying the various kinds of occult that
1
It has been mentioned in the (New Testament) in (Barnapa)
44: 19-32( O! Muhammad! Let God be with Thee and let him
enable me to unite your showlace, for if I attain this I shall
become a great prophet and holy of God, Jesus saying this
thanked him) coppied from (Aquaidwna) page 553. Dr.AlSadiqui.
2
Surah (The Ranks) verse 6.
134
were practiced by the magicians which became quite
familiar to the people of the time; and when Moses
came with the right from his God the people submitted
to his proclamation realizing that his deeds were not
normal acts like what the other magicians used to do.
The same thing happened to Jesus [p] who healed the
blind and the leprous and revived the dead in an age
that medicine was perfected on the hands of some
individuals who were healing the people, thus the
prodigy of Jesus [P] came to reveal the potency of the
unseen to heal what were irrecoverable diseases to the
normal physicians at the time being, employing
unfamiliar ways, thus that prophet certified the right of
his mission and that he was a genuine envoy from Allah
to His servants.
The prophethood of the last prophet and messenger
of God followed the same example.
Oratory prose and poetry became familiar arts to the
people in the era that preceded the dawn of Islam; these
arts flourished attaining the best degree of perfection,
elegance, eloquence and rhetoric; so the poets and
orators were competing in the public marketplaces to
show their best acts in front of the people who were
quite involved into those rituals. In such circumstances
the Holy Qur'an came to defy the masters of literature,
eloquence and rhetoric, a Book that is an artistic
masterpiece propagating a special kind of literature that
is neither poetry nor prose, thus all poets and orators
were defeated feeling their failure and powerlessness in
front of the glory of the Qur'an.
The immortal Qur'anic prodigy came in proportion
with the immortal Islamic religion which concluded all
religions and heavenly missions that preceded it.
If the miracle of Muhammad [P] has been temporary
and limited to a specific time, it would not have been
suitable to convert the pro-generations that missed the
opportunity of coexisting with that exceptional
135
phenomenon, hence to authenticate it they would have
been obliged to depend on narrations and
communications about it.
And it is clear, the impact of a miracle on the people
weakens by the passage of time, especially if it is
narrated to them (i, e they did not witness it), for
relating an event after a time from its occurrence turns
the belief in it into suspicion- even though it was
absolutely certified-, hence, it cannot be adopted to set
forth a parable for those who are addressed to hold on
to a religion, for the probability of falsehood it carries.
Thereby, the miracle should have maintained its role;
thus the miracle of Islam has been immortal and will
remain so extending with the expansion of time to
remove suspicion of the souls and negate a chance for
denial:
So that people should not have a plea against Allah
after the (coming of) apostles; 1
Say: Then Allah's is the conclusive argument. 2
The Holy Qur'an was never a mere literary
masterpiece rather it contains a schedule of conversion
and a code for a free prosperous life; while we noticeon the other hand- that the main task of the prodigies of
the other prophets was limited to certify their prophet
hood. Converting people and setting down the
legislations that serve man's happiness is a separate
topic that is not related to the miracle, and those
prophets used to have their own ways about these
legislations.
The most gorgeous form of defiance that the Holy
Quran presents is:
If this Book, that is now in people's hands- has not
been dictated by Allah (i, e it was written by the
1
2
Surah (Women) verse 165.
Surah (The Cattle) verse 149.
136
Prophet himself [P] ); people would have been equal to
the Prophet [P] in this respect, for everybody knows
and keeps the Arabic alphabet which forms the
morphology of the Book. But this is not true, for people
were defied to bring something similar to it, yet they
could not.
Strange enough, the Holy Qur'an did not (merely)
defy the people to bring something similar to it, rather
it urged them insistently to accept the challenge and try
to bring something like it:
Say: If men and jinn should combine together to
bring the like of this Qur'an, they could not bring the
like of it though some of them were aiders of others. 1
Or, do they say; He has forged it- say: Then bring ten
forged chapters like it and call upon whom you can
besides Allah; if you are truthful. But if they do not
answer you, then know that it is revealed by Allah's
knowledge. 2
And if you are in doubt as to that which We have
revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it
and call on your witnesses beside Allah if you are
truthful. But if you do (it) not and never shall you do
(it), then be on your guard against the fire of which
men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the
unbelievers. 3
The defiance which we mentioned hereinbefore
shows in the verses:
(if you are truthful), then bring ten forged chapters
like it), (and call upon whom you can besides Allah),
(Say: If men and jinn should combine together), (But if
you do (it) not and never shall you do (it)).
1
Surah (The Israelites) verse 88.
Surah (Hud) verse 13-14.
3
Surah (The Cow) verse 23-24.
2
137
(Quraish)1 followed all possible ways to stop the
enthusiasm that was created by the proclamation of
Muhammad [p]; this tribe used to plan day and night to
get to his ominous aim, so they tried to confront
religion by the easiest and shortest and least expensive
way which was none but frustrating the miracle of the
prophet [p] by presenting a literary piece that is similar
to the Qur'an in its rhetorics and eloquence. But, all
their efforts were in vain, because they could not bring
even a single verse that is similar to its verses; thence
they refuged to war and bloodshed, planning and
conspiring in the darkness with other polytheist tribes
and with the Jews and the fifth column that inhabited
(Al- Medina)2 manifesting Islam and hiding hatred
towards Moslems.
Fortunately; history kept some confessions of those
who were prominent men of letters and reason in
(Quraish), hereunder is a reference to some of them:
1(Al-Walled Ben Al-Mugherah) was a
planner and a man of common sense and literary
talent; he was called the flower of the Arabs and
their wise man.
Quraish summoned him to solve the problem that
confronted them then ( i, e the people's tendency to the
new religion and their commitment to it. the man went
through his mission trying to change the situation. He
met the Gracious Prophet [p] near the rock of Ismaeel
[p], asked him to recite verses from the Holy Qur'an, so
the Prophet [P] started reciting verses from Surah (The
Believer) which impressed him moving his emotions to
a degree that influenced him and made him refuge to
1
The major tribe that inhabited Mecca and its whereabouts, to
which the tribe of the gracious Prophet [p] belongs, Translator.
2
(Al- medina) a town that was near (Mecca) to which the
Prophet and his apostles migrated to establish his first
government, Translator.
138
his home taking it as a sanctuary for his loneliness.
Later on when he left his home he was asked about
what the Prophet [p] said, he answered:
(By God I have heard hereinbefore a speech from
Muhammad that was neither the speech of men nor was
it the speech of jinn, it was so sweet and beautiful, just
like a tree, whose upper part is fruitful and its lower
roots are dense; it is a speech that surmounts
everything, and nothing may overshadow it.) 1
2-(Uttbah Ben Rabbe'ah) suggested to (Quraish) that
he would go and talk to the Prophet [P] about a number
of things wishing that he will make him change his
mind about the new religion, thus (Quraish) agreed to
his suggestion, he then went to the Messenger of Allah
[p] and spoke to him, when he finished his speech the
Prophet [P] said: Have you finished?
The man said: Yes.
The prophet started reciting verses from Surah (Ha
Mim) that stunned (Uttbah) filling him with wonder, so
he left his place, went to his companions saying:
(By God, it is neither poetry, nor magic nor
oratory) 2
3- (Tuffail Ben Amro Al-Doosi) was a well known
poet, had an influential authority among his people.
One day he came to (Mecca), (Quraish) was afraid
that the Prophet's [P] proclamation might affect him, so
they warned him from the (magic) of Muhammad [p]
(as they used to say); finally they convinced the man to
put cotton into his ears while he wanders around the
(Ka'abah) 3 for fear that he might get affected by what
the Prophet [P] says. During his tour he heard some of
the words of the Messenger of Allah [p] which tempted
1
(Mujam'a-Al-Bian) volume 5, page 387.
(Seerat Ben Husham) volume 1 page 293.
3
Wandering around the (Ka'abah) is part of the rituals of
Islamic pilgrimage. Translator.
2
139
him to hear more, thus he traced the Prophet [p] to enter
his house after him and ask him to recite verses from
the Holy Qur'an. The Prophet did recite for him, the
man was taken by their impact; later on he turned into a
Moslem.
*
*
*
In spite of all of this, the heathens and polytheists
accused the Messenger of Allah [p] of being a magician
and a priest, forbidding people from listening to what
he proclaimed trying to keep them busy by brining (AlNadher Ben Al-Hareth) who used to narrate stories and
narrations about the kings of Persia; at last the people
of (Quraish) were fed up with his tales so they forsook
him.
This has been a rapid review of the prodigy of the
Holy Qur'an and its influence on its readers and its
attraction to those who listened to it.
If we intend to tackle the prodigy of this Holy Book
showing its rhetorical eloquence and spotlighting the
miraculous features of it, we shall be in need of a wide
elaboration that does not suit the brief review that we
meant to make in this book. Anybody who seeks further
elaboration about the miraculous eloquence of the Holy
Qur'an can refer to the specialized books, namely, (AlElahiat) by Sheikh (Al-Subhani) volume 2- page 243.
Worthwhile to say in this respect, although 1400
years, elapsed since the emergence of this glorious
heavenly Book, not even one man could alter this
miracle that the final Prophet [P] had brought, although
so many spiteful enemies, Imperialists, Maisons, have
done their best to demolish it.
And they planned a plan, and We planned a plan. 1
1
Surah (The Ant) verse 50.
140
On the other hand, the friend and the foe can feel the
sweetness of its verses, the compact style by which it is
dictated in its prime chapters, its middle ones, and its
closing ones along the duration of time it took ( i. e 23
years); if this Qur'an has been dictated by somebody
other than Him the Exalted, we would have found in it
variation in the level of style, drawbacks in its
judgments and opinions; but such a thing could not be
traced in this Holy Book, rather its prime chapters
assert its final ones and vice-versa.
If we compare this case to that of a poet or a writerfor example- we can notice that their prime attempts do
not match their later ones, the latter would definitely be
richer and deeper by the sequence of time due to the
experience they gain, and the maturity they attain
which will subsequently impress their production
marking a notable difference between the prime one
and the final one.
On another level, the sweetness of the Qur'an
terminology and its glorious meanings and rhetorical
eloquence push the reader to re-read the surahs and the
verses repeatedly without feeling any tediousness; on
the contrary he who reads a story or a literary piece will
rush enthusiastically at the beginning to read it, his zeal
will fade away in the second reading; in the third
reading his enthusiasm will decrease more, and so on
and so forth until he will lose any interest in it.
The continuous elegance and glamour characterize
even the legislative, lawful, ethical aspects of the
Qur'an, they are the balm and remedy for all the pain
and needs of humanity, thus Allah's speech will bloom,
ever rich wherever it may be.
Opposite to this, we find man's writings and
knowledge, for the latter cancels and negates what the
former has written.
141
The secret of the continuous glory of the Holy Qur'an
is, that it is the speech of the Lord, and the speech of
the Lord is the Lord of speech.
The gracious Prophet [P], describing the Book, said:
Its appearance is elegant, and its connotation is
deep, its prodigies are uncountable and its wonders
never fade away. 1
56th Question:
Did the Holy Qur'an contain aspects other than its
rhetorical eloquence that assert the prophethood of
the Prophet [p] certifying that he is the genuine envoy
of heaven?
* Yes, the Qur'an contained a number of evidences in
this respect, two of which we mention herein below:
First: Foretelling the unseen.
There are several references in the Holy Book
notifying the occurrence of some events that had not
taken place yet, hereunder is one of them in short:
In the era that preceded Islam, the empire and the
Roman Empire between which there had been a great
conflict that ended by the victory of the Persian Empire
during the reign of king (Khisrow Perweez) in the 614
A.D. i-e four years after the dawn of Islam.
The event left its clear impressions on the Arabian
peninsula, and (Quraish) cherished for it saying that the
Persians who were heathens conquered the Unitarians (
i, e the Romans who were Christians); thus Quraish
anticipated their victory on Moslems who were also
Unitarians.
On the other hand, pain and sorrow dominated the
Moslems for what had taken place; but the Holy Qur'an
1
Usul-Al-Kaffi Fe kittab Al-Qur'an.
142
promised that the Unitarians would conquer the
heathens within few years (which is a time between 3-9
years according to the original connotation of the word
in Arabic.
Alif Lam Mim the Romans are vanquished in a near
land, and they, after being vanquished, shall
overcome Within a few years. Allah's is the command
before and after, and on that day the believers shall
rejoice with the help of Allah; he helps whom He
pleases; and He is the Mighty, the Merciful; (This is)
Allah's promise! Allah will not fail His promise, but
most people do not know. 1
This prophecy actually took place, and the Romans
gained their victory on the Persians in the year 622
A.D. by the leadership of (Heraclius), although the
circumstances of the Roman Empire after its first defeat
did not forecast such a victory; but as it is said:
I want, you want and Allah does what He wants.
Second: Foretelling some universal laws and
phenomena:
It is necessary here to emphasize that the Holy
Qur'an is a Book of conversation aiming to build man
and lead him to the way of perfection and elevation.
Alif Lam Mim This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a
guide to those who guard (against evil) 2
Thus, this Book declares everything relating to this
aim without following and noticing the items and
affairs that are connected to other sciences. The Prophet
[P] has not been sent to declare his opinions about what
1
2
Surah (The Romans) verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Surah (The Cow) verses 2, and 2.
143
goes on inside the earth or in the horizons of the sky of
natural and physical laws.
He [P] was not sent to collect and arrange data about
mathematics or chemistry or physics…etc.
Such a task is attributed to the scientists and
specialists in these fields and it is up to their
seriousness and efficiency in fulfilling their jobs,
because the wisdom of Allah determined that such tasks
should be done by man so as to keep him in close touch
with his environment and society. Yes, if religion wade
through this arena it only aims to encourage and push
the people forward to get indulged in the fields of
knowledge and science.
Thus, Islam commanded every Moslem to seek
knowledge from his cradle to his grave ( i, e from his
early childhood till his decease) Islam, too hinted to
some natural laws and phenomena to make them
evidences proving the existence of Allah and His
Glory, and the right proclamation of the prophets to
their God; as a result of which people will be attached
to them following their example.
Let us now trace some scientific phenomena which
the Holy Qur'an referred to:
1-
Gravity law:
Issac Newton in the 17th century discovered this law;
and the century has been named by the (Newton
Century) as away of paying gratitude to him for the
great achievement in the scientific field he had done.
Newton in this law emphasized that the (gravity law) is
a general law that governs all the material existence.
The Holy Qur'an mentioned this idea a millennium
before Newton.
Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any
pillars that you see, and He is firm in power and He
made the sun and the moon subservient (to you); each
144
one pursues its course to an appointed time; He
regulates the affair, making clear the signs that you
may be certain of meeting your Lord. 1
It has been narrated that Imam Ali Ameer AlMumeneen [P] said:
ab-
2-
These stars are towns in the sky, just like the towns
in the earth; every town is connected to a pillar of
light.2
In the reference book (Majma'a Al-Bahrain) the
author referred to the same speech of the Imam [P] but
with a slight difference in terminology asserting that
they are two pillars of light. This may connotate that
gravity can be achieved only by two powers:
The power drawing to the center.
The power dispersing from the center.
So that a state of balance among the planets can be
achieved; for had it be a state of drawing alone, all the
universe would have accumulated in one point; the case
being the opposite, the planets would have scattered
about and chaos would have dominated all quarters of
the universe including our planet in which we live, thus
the timing of right, day, heat and cold would have been
disturbed influencing the life on earth. The balance
between drawing to the center and dispersion from it,
resulted the systematic course of the stars and the
planets around their spheres according to an accurate
program.
Dual sex law:
The Sweedish scientist (Charles Lennais) discovered
the law of dual sex in (Botany) in the 1731 A.D.
through which he emphasized the existence of a male
and a female in plants, else more he asserted that the
1
2
Surah (The Thunder) verse 2.
(Saffeenat Al-Behar) Subject/ (star) volume 2, page 574.
145
trees do not give fruits unless the male sperms fertilize
the female seeds.
The marvelous truth which attracts our attention in
this respect is that the Holy Qur'an did not merely
assert the dual sex law in plants only; rather the Holy
Book declared that it is a universal comprehensive law:
Do they not see the earth, how many of every noble
kind We have caused to grow in it? 1
And of everything We have created pairs that you may
be mindful. 2
Different opinions clashed about the connotation of
the general law of dual sex; some people said it is (the
essence and the guise) others said it is (the image and
the matter); we tend to the idea that: Every substantial
being is made of a number of particles which- in turnare made of atoms: a single atom contains a (nucle) that
carries a (Proton) with a positive charge in addition to
which there is another thing that is called (neutron)
inside the (nucle) with no charge; around the external
face of the (nucle) there are several orbits into which
the (electron) moves carrying a negative charge.
Heretofore the general law of dual sex may be
applicable to the (positive charges) and the (negative
charges).
In Arabic 3 the term (couple) (Al-Edle) refers to each
male and female coupling to form a unit.
The Exalted said:
O Adam? Dwell you and your wife in the garden. 4
1
Surah (The Poets) verse 7.
Surah (The Scatterers) verse 49.
3
Realizing the accurate meaning of this note requires a
thorough understanding of the Arabic itemology which is rather
difficult to a western reader. Translator.
4
Surah (The Cow) verse 35.
2
146
3-
Fertilizing the plants by the winds:
This is one of the wonderful prodigies mentioned in
the Holy Qur'an, which (Lennais) in his researches on
Botany reached one thousand years later.
And We send the winds fertilizing. 1
Martyr (Al-Sader) in his book (Al-Mursil, AlRaswol, Al-Ressaleh) narrated about (Ajetery) the
Arabic language professor in oxford university who
commented on the way the winds carry the male
sperms to the female seeds in plants by saying:
4-
The camel owners had known that the winds
fertilize the trees and the fruits several centuries
before the science in Europe discovered it.
The spheric course of earth and other planets:
The Greek astrologists' opinions contradicted about
the spheric course of earth and other planets while the
Holy Qur'an declared manifestly that the sun, the moon,
and the earth circle within spheres, linguistically
speaking, a (sphere) means an (orbit).
Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should
overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day;
and all float on in a sphere. 2
He made the sun and the moon subservient (to you);
each one pursues its course to an appointed time. 3
Who made the earth for you an expanse. 4
And you see the mountains, you think them to be
solid, and they shall pass away as the passing away of
the cloud- the handiwork of Allah who has made
1
Surah (The Rock) verse 22.
Surah (Ya seen) verse 40.
3
Surah (The Thunder) verse 2.
4
Surah (Ta Ha) verse 53.
2
147
everything thoroughly; surely He is aware of what
you do. 1
The first verse and the second signify clearly the
course of the sun and the moon; while the course of
earth in the third and fourth verse can be inferred from
the metaphorical use of the similies, for it is not
possible that the mountains should move, because they
are solid; so definitely we conclude that the earth itself
is circling.
57th Question:
What about the (Issmah) of the prophets [P] (i, e
their immunity against error)?
*(Al-Issmah) is an Arabic word meaning that man is
immune against error and disobedience, furthermore his
thinking and determination may be immune, the
absolute unerring man is that who never transgresses,
never disobeys Allah through all of his life, does not
even think of disobedience or want it. 2To the (Shiites)
the immunity of prophets [p] against sins and
transgressions (both intentional and spontaneous) from
their birthday until their death, is something completely
taken for granted. The (Sunnis) disapprove this, some
of them believed that the prophets are only immune
against (Al-Kaba'ir) i, e the great transgressions; others
believed they are immune whence they became
prophets, there are sects of (Sunni) who believe that the
prophets might sin and transgress and disobey even
while they are prophets.
Concerning the prophets' applications of the
judgments they had informed the people; the (Shiites)
believe that they never err or commit a mistake in this
1
2
Surah (The Ant) verse 88.
Mefaheem Al-Qur'an- Jaffar Subhani v.4, page 374.
148
respect, (except some few of (Shiites) who disapprove
some events for the difference in interpreting some
narrations thereby).
The (Sunnis) disagree with the (Shiites) in this
regard too. Reason asserts that the prophets [p] are
immune against sins and transgressions, for if they are
not so, people would not have trusted them, thus they
would not trust their prophecies; as a result the Divine
wisdom of envoying the prophets and messengers to
convert the people will be disproved. In addition to this
the Prophet [p] task is not limited to teaching only,
rather it includes educating people and purifying their
souls which requires that the tutor himself maintains a
high level of morality so as to attain success in his
educational task leading whom he chooses to
conversion and to the most superior position
approaching the Exalted and regaining his favour and
virtue. No doubt that the teacher's transgressions
deform his image and influence his informative
mission, imposing impediments in his way that prevent
him from attaining his aims.
The significance of what has been said is emphasized
whenever the role of the tutor becomes wider and more
comprehensive until we reach the prophets and
messengers whom Allah prepared to be the ideal
examples who take the responsibility to do the grandest
task ever known to humanity, which is none but
connecting the earth inhabitants with the source of
grace and good and the spring of nonfinite
abundance…
You can depend on certain verses from the Holy
Qur'an to assert the prophet's immunity against sins and
errors: He said:
149
Then by Thy Might I will surely made them live an
evil life, all (82) Except Thy servants from among
them, the purified ones (83).1
It is clear that the expression (the purified ones)
mentioned in the gracious verse refers that Allah has
chosen some of his servants fortifying them against the
temptation of (Satan) and his deceit, thus they are
unerring; and if (Satan) finds an opportunity to tempt
and delude them he would not have hesitated to do so.
And we did not send any apostle but that he should be
obeyed by Allah's permission.2
The command to obey the apostles in this verse is
absolute with no exception or limitation; if the prophets
disobey Allah even in small affairs, He would not have
commanded us to obey and follow them therein, for a
sin and a guilt are ugly, and Allah would not order us to
do ugly, things.
My covenant does include the unjust.3
This verse came to answer (Ibrahiem's) request to
bequeath Imamhood for his descendants; thus Allah's
refusal came to his request; for disobedience whatever
might be, means injustice- even if it concerned the
sinner himself-; hence, only those who are immune
against sins and transgressions are fit for Imam Hood.
No wonder- then-to say, that the prophets are
unerring in doing their godly duties, for they realized
the ultimate truth and the essence of things
distinguishing their drawbacks, evil, right and good;
furthermore they owned a solid determination, a strong
will and an individual personality that can expel all
kinds of tendencies and reactions which might shade
1
Surah (Suad) verses 82-83.
Surah (Women) verse 64.
3
Surah (The Cow) verse 124.
2
150
and deform the truths, turning things paradoxical to
what they really are.
Wherein, then, should an insane commit something
that may harm him in spite that he is not obliged to do
it, just like eating dirt, or sipping poison which may kill
him?!
The prophets- due to the superior degrees and
elevated positions they attained- gained a success from
Allah that fortified them from the vice of sins
committed secretly or manifestly, intendedly or
spontaneously. This success is only a present from God
to them for the things they have done to certify their
obedience to Allah; for Allah has known that they do
not transgress- optionally or accidentally- so He
bestowed to them this immunity when the have the
choice to transgress; hence the (Prophet who is
immune) deserves a reward from God that is unlike the
reward dedicated to anybody else, not that the (Prophet
who is immune) has been given this fortification from
Allah arbitrarily, rather he deserved this gift for the
special work he had done and the exceptional effort he
had exerted, thus he was distinguished from other
human beings1.2
58th Question:
How can the contradiction between the evidences
mentioned a bout (Issmah) i.e (immunity against
error) erst mentioned and the manifest meaning of
some verses and narrations, be solved?
1
Refer to (Duroos fi Alaquidah Al- Islamiah) volume 2 page 5561- (Al- Ilahiat) volume 2- page- 140- 200.
2
It is noteworthy to mention here that the (Shiites) belief in
(Al-Issmah) (i.e immunity) necessitates that the prophet or Imam
is borne without it, but Allah forsees by His (present knowledge)
that he will not err even if he is given the chance to do so,
therefore He bestows on him this grace as a present for his
devotion. Translator.
151
*After all the reasonable and Qur'anic evidences that
have been presented hereinbefore signifying (the
immunity against error and transgression of the
prophets [p]), no chance for suspecting their
fortification [p] remains.
If any verse or narration accidently declares the
opposite, we shall be obliged to interpret it in a way
that harmonizes with those positive evidences,
especially that the gracious verses and some gracious
narrations accept such interpretations; other narrations
that do not fit into this category must not be taken into
consideration for they contradict a categorical
judgement that proves the (Issmah).
The prophets, messengers, Imams [p] have attained
the most elevated prestige and the well chosen position
before Allah to the degree they feel that they have their
special code of commitments and ethics; so if they
chance to do something that does not befit their
prestige, their behavior thereby by no means would be
taken as (forsaking a duty) or (committing a
transgression)
Thus we realize the meaning of the word (disobeyed)
in the following gracious verse:
(And Adam disobeyed his lord, so his life became evil
(to him))1
When (Adam) ate from the tree he did not transgress
but he had left the preferable , for he is immune against
error, rather he did something not preferable (i-e the
prohibition from eating was not absolute, rather it was
limited, which means Adam would better have not
eaten, yet he did, so he and Eve were expelled from
paradise).
You may say: some gracious verses declare
manifestly Satan's temptation to the prophets [p] by his
1
Surah (TaHa) verse 121.
152
continuous evil suggestions to them, as the following
verses propagate:
O children of Adam: let not the Shaitan1cause you to
fall into affliction as he expelled your parents from
the garden.2
When he called upon his Lord: The Shaitan has
afflicted me with toil and torment.3
And we did not send before you any apostle or
prophet, but when he desired, the Shaitan made a
suggestion respecting his desire.4
It is quite clear for anybody who meditates the verses
hereinabove that, they say: Satan suggests evil to the
prophets putting impediments in their way of right, but
those verses never manifest that [p] fell preys in the
trap of Satan responding to his suggestion.
Concerning Adam's exit from paradise after obeying
the evil suggestions of Satan; even though it was done
by the impact of those suggestions and instructions, for
Adam violated Allah's command, yet it was a violation
for an informative command (i-e Allah informed Adam
that eating from the tree will inflict harm on him, for it
will cause his expulsion from paradise, thus he will
suffer on earth; the command issued by Allah thence
was not a compulsion to Adam; Similarly When he
forgot the order of Allah not to eat from the tree:
And certainly we gave a commandment to Adam
before, but he forgot; and We did not find in him any
determination.5
His forgetfulness was not a negligence of an
obligatory command, thus this act of Adam according
1
Shaitan: the Arabic equivalent for Satan, Translator.
Surah: (The Elevated Places) verse 27.
3
Surah: (Suad) verse 41.
4
Surah: (The Pilgrimage verse 52.
5
Surah: (Ta Ha) verse 115.
2
153
to our ideology was not a default that violates the
immunity of the prophet [p]; the violation takes place if
a prophet [p] forgets a compulsory commandment.
What the Holy Qur'an relates about some prophets
manifesting that they tell lies, should be taken
according to their metaphorical and pun uses, i-e the
expression signifies a meaning other than the words
literally mean.
Surely I am sick.1
This verse conveys what (Ibrahiem) [P] said to his
people when he beheld the stars and told them that the
fortunes tell him he is sick, so he is sick, so he would
not go with them to celebrate the Barium, thus he
would find a chance to destroy the idols (Ibrahiem here
did not lie to his people, he rather punned his words.)
Again, what (Ibrahiem) [P] said to his people who
asked him "who destroyed the idols"
He said: Surely (some doer) has done it; the chief of
them is this, therefore ask them, if they can speak. 2
His plea here can mean that he [P] attributed the
answer about the destroyer of the idols to those idols’s
ability to articulate; as long as idols do not speak or
articulate words, therefore he did not actually lie to
them.
Else more what have been mentioned in (Surah
Yusuf) of his accusation of his brothers as stealing the
king's pan although they are innocent:
Then a crier cried out: O caravan! You are most
surely thieves. 3
This accusation can be justified in the way that
Yusuf meant by this accusation that his brothers had
1
Surah: (The Rangers) verse 89.
Surah (The Prophets) verse 63.
3
Surah (Yusuf ) verse 70.
2
154
stolen him before and thrown him in the well. Or it
might be interpreted that the crier was only
investigating whether they are thieves. Or, it may be
interpreted in the way that the crier accused Yusuf's
brothers of robbery because the crier himself believed
so, not Yusuf [P].
It might be said, that Moses' murder of the Copt who
fought with one of the Israelites, and his [p] confession
of his guilt and transgression are enough evidence that
negates fortification from him and other prophets [p]:
And they have a crime against me; therefore I fear
that they may slay me) 1
He said: I did it then while I was of those unable to
see the right course. 2
But we refuse this inference taking into consideration
that the Copt was an adherent of (Faroun) the bitter foe
of (Moses) [p], hence killing him was not a
transgression; in addition, it was not an intentional
murder, rather Moses stroke the man to deter him from
attacking the Israelite but the hit was too much for the
Copt, so he died.
What (Moses) declared of being guilty by killing the
Copt can be attributed to mean that (Faroun) and his
clique believed that he had committed a murder which
deserves punishment according to them; this does not
connotate that (Moses) [P] considers himself guilty.
When (Moses) [p] attributed delusion to himself he
was only echoing what (Faroun) and his clique said
about him [p], to set forth a parable to them, that he has
transgressed, yet God might convert him so he –in turnmay convert them to the right.
Another interpretation may suggest that (Moses) the
prophet [P] considered his killing of the Copt improper
1
2
Surah (The Poets) verse 14.
Surah (The poets) verse 20.
155
especially it brought him troubles and suffering in the
time that he was in urgent need of a quiet atmosphere
that enables him to confront the tyranny of (Faroun);
killing the Copt was doing a thing he [p] should not
have done, though it was by no means an offense.
The doubt and hesitation a prophet [p] may have in
what Allah has revealed to him- as in some verses that
prohibit the prophet [p] to do so- like the following one:
But if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed
to you, ask those who read the Book before you;
certainly the truth has come to you from your Lord,
therefore you should not be of the disputers. 1
Can be taken to mean that the others may not doubt
and hesitate in that which relates to the right of Allah's
religion especially that Allah had declared to them His
unquestionable evidence-and although Allah is
addressing the prophet [p], yet He means to make the
others realize this fact.
Thus, we reject the plea of those who think that the
prophet [p] may transgress depending on the verse;
That Allah may forgive your community their past
faults and those to follow2.
For the faults mentioned in the gracious verse is what
the idolators thought about the Prophet when he
rejected their gods and called upon them to forsake
them, but Allah has forgiven- even- that sin, in the way
that He removed any possible misunderstanding of the
prophet's attitude towards the idols; the verse that
precedes the verse mentioned above declares this:
Surely we have given to you a clear victory.3
1
Surah (Yunus) verse 94.
Surah (The Victory) verse 2.
3
I bid, verse 1.
2
156
This victory led the prophet [p] and his followers to
control the situation depriving the idolaters from the
chance to revenge their gods.
Other people may try to raise suspicion about the
significance of the following verse:
And you feared men, and Allah had a greater right
then you should fear Him.1
This verse came to certify the cancellation of a
tradition out of pre-Islamic traditions which was
familiar then; that tradition legislated that the wife of an
adopted son, if divorced should not marry his adopted
father. The wife of his adopted son who had already
divorced her, feared that the people might inflict cheap
accusations on him which might affect their faith in
Islam. Hence the gracious verse came to quieten the
prophet's [p] worries and to push him forward to
neglect the others' opinions and to resume his
informative mission assigned to him by the Exalte.
It is notable here that, setting forward the issue in
this form is meant to prepare a suitable atmosphere that
qualifies the people to accept the legal judgment that is
presented in a wonderful way and a marvelous style.
Those who claim that the following verses signify
that the prophets are not fortified against sins and
errors:
Allah pardon you! Why did you give them leave2 .
O Prophet! Why do you forbid (yourself) that which
Allah has made lawful for you; you seek to please
your wives.3
Their proclamation is rejected by any one who is
familiar with the style of dialogue and conversation; for
1
Surah (The Allies) verse 37.
(Repentance) verse 43.
3Surah (The Prohibition) verse 1.
2Surah
157
the connotation here is praise by means of reproach 1;
for the gracious Prophet [p] was merciful even to the
hypocrites, thus he [p] did not propagate despair in their
souls neither did he disgrace them by revealing their
secrets publicly; in this way he gave them the leave to
fight with him.
On the same level he used to treat his wives; for, according to the significance of the verse- he has
forbidden himself from eating honey after taking an
oath never to do it just to satisfy some of his women by
responding to their wishes. This prohibition is not a
taboo that Allah issued; rather it is a commitment that
the Prophet [P] imposed on himself by means of an
oath.2
59th Question:
What is the reason that the prophethood of
Muhammad [p] is the final one that puts an end to all
the heavenly mission?
* Before getting to the core of the topic we must
present a short introduction:
Linguistically speaking the term (Khatem) in Arabic
means reaching the end of something. Iben Faris 3 said:
(Al-Khatem has only one meaning which is reaching
the end of something, we say (I finished the job
[khatemtu al-amel] the orator finished the (Surah)
(khatema al-Quari al-surah); furthermore (Al-Khatem)
1A
rhetorical style that is characteristic of Arabic alone.
Translator.
2
For further information refer to (Mefaheem Al-Qur'an) by
Jaffar Subhani, volume 5, page 17-197.
3(Maquees Al-lughah), khatem topic.
158
means printing on something, for printing on something
can only be done after doing something thoroughly).
All the Moslem community agreed that their Prophet
[P] is the final prophet, and his message is the final one,
as the Holy Book, and the narrations assert.
Muhammad is not the farther of any of your men, but
he is the Apostle of Allah and the last of the Prophets ,
1
The gracious prophet [P] said about Imam Ali [p]:
You are close to me the way (Aroon) was close to
(Moses), but Allah commanded that no prophet will
succeed me. 2
This prophetical speech signifies that the (master of
Messengers) is the last one of them [p], in addition to
the guardianship of Imam Ali [P] on the (Mumeneen).
Ameer Al-Mumeneen [p] said:
Until Allah envoyed Muhammad [P] to achieve his
commandments and conclude all prophecies; his
prophet hood was authenticated by the prophets, who
proved his characteristics; his delivery has been
gracious.3
After what has been said, we elaborate the answer:
Several prophets preceded our gracious prophet [P].
(Muhammad Iben Abdullah), which was something
quite familiar to the people of that time, thus they
succeeded one another teaching and converting people
and leading them the right way, the former assuring the
course of the latter, or innovating something new that
the previous circumstances of the nation would not
1Surah
(The Allies) verse 40.
Refer to 9Saheeh Al-Bukhari) v. 2, page 58 (Saheeh
Moslem) v.2, page 323 (Sunan Iben Majed) v. 1, page 28,
(Ahmad Ben Hanble) in his (Musned) v. 1, page 331.
3(Nahj Al-Balagha) First speech.
2
159
allow to apply. Hence religions differed in their
judgments and regulations, though they participate in so
many common factors.
This continues until the Missions of heaven relied on
a permanent final from that will never change by the
sequence of time and the shift of places, the legal
course of the (Master of Messengers) was the best
expression of that permanency.
Divine judgments and legislation and those which
man put for various fields of life stem from man's need
to organize his life and the affairs that are related to it,
man's needs vary from permanent ones to transitive
ones .
The permanent needs have their own code of
legislations which have been issued according to their
example (i-e the need's example); needs and
legislations never shift, for they arose from a necessity
that was determined by man's circumstance and needs,
and they are expected not to shift and change; so there
is no point in shifting their laws which were carefully
set for them.
It is true that the codes of laws should be modernized
and remolded if ever time sequence reveals their
drawbacks; but this fact applies to human codes and
laws, for they are conditioned by man's deficiency of
thinking which can not properly determine what must
be done and what must not .
While Allah who is the right jurist, error can never
be found in His laws, for His wisdom and knowledge
have no room for a mistake; He created man and He
best knows what is good for him.
Does He not know, who created? And He is the
knower of the subtleties, the aware1.
1Surah
(The Kingdom) verse 14.
160
An example for the permanent legislations, is the
compulsory duty of praying which applies to those who
must do it, for it is a from that responds to the needs of
man relating to his relation with Allah who created him.
The same thing can be said about other laws and
legislations which master man's life and answer the
different permanent human needs, those needs were and
still are effective; and thus they will remain for ever.
The laws and legislations of the transitive needs must
change according to the change that afflicts those
needs, for those are subject to the shift of time and
place. An example of this is the (autopsy) which was
prohibited in the past, for it was considered a style of
deformation to the dead, the Prophet [p] said:
Do not deform a corpse even if it was a corpse of a
dog1, but within the sequence of time the prohibition
changed into permission, rather it became a compulsion
in some cases.
The question here is: Can Islam cope with the
present developments in man's life, giving solutions to
all things that may come into existence ?
The answer is: Yes, Islam by means of its potencies
and abilities can be quite creative and innovative for the
legislations and jurisprudences whatever the nature of
their nouveau topics might be all through the evidences
and stable rules it maintains. Such jurisprudences that
are fit to every respect that proportionates to them so
nothing may go astray from its supervision.
There are some rules that Islam relies on, to infer the
legislations and jurisprudences it requires, some of
which are (No harm, and no suffering of harm are in
Islam); (Negation of embarrassment); (Do not disprove
a certainty by suspicion, rather disprove it by another
certainty) and so many others.
1
(Behar Al- Anwar) volume 42, page 246.
161
In addition to the rules mentioned above, there is the
evidence of reason which plays a vital role in inferring
the jurisprudence – in a private circle; furthermore (AlFaqueeh Al-Jame'a le Shara'it Al ifta'a Wal Hukem 1
issues his regulations according to the interests of
Moslems and Islam, and up to accurate juristic criteria.
Thus, no matter, small or big, of the affairs up to
date, will skip this jurisprudence; and everything will
have its permanent divine disposed law deriven from
the Islamic legislation; hence nobody will have the
chance to claim that Islam should be substituted by
another new religion as long as Islam responds to all
the needs of the human kind depending on the divine
jurisprudence and by means of the comprehension of
the specialists and Scholars who are the heirs of the
prophets.
No wonder to say then, after what has been said- that
Islam has a judgment about every event even the very
slightest one.
1(Al-Faqueeh
Al-Jame'a) the highest clergy man in Shiite
society who can issue regulations according to the jurisprudence
of Al-Qur'an and the narrations of Muhammad's progeny [P].
Translator.
162
CHAPTER
IV
IMAMHOOD
163
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the
Merciful
Chapter IV
{Researches of Imamhood}
60th Question:
What is our dogma in Imam Hood?
* We believe that Imamhood is a general
comprehensive leadership for the religious affairs and
worldly needs. Its concept and responsible individuals
should be determined by referring to the right religion;
or else every thesis or form relating to the nature of the
regime or the governors will be illegal if it is not
determined thus. In this respect, there is no difference
between the Imam hood of the (unerring Imams) [P] or
the imam hood of other leaders, for the absolute
governor and the real one is Allah, and nobody elsewhoever might be- may not govern the servants of God
unless his leadership relies on God's leadership and His
admittance.
Judgment is only Allah’s 1
If Allah our right Lord commands that, He attributes
the leadership to a prophet or a (Wali) (i, e Imam) or a
1
Surah (Yusuf) verse 40.
164
(God fearing servant of His), we have no choice then
but to obey His command in this respect, as has been
certified manifestly in the Holy Qur'an:
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle
and those in authority from among you1 :
The obedience of the prophet (Apostle) and those in
authority, means actually the obedience of Allah and
responsiveness to his commands.
Reasonable and sensible people would not miss the
fact that, neglecting religion and its attitude towards
choosing and appointing the (imam) or the (chief), and
determining his characteristics regardless of the
predetermined criteria that were fixed by religion, for
such a personality; such an attitude is only another
expression of the thesis that separate religion from
politics; a thesis which has been always adopted by
pro-religion and its foes.
We believe that the (Imam) who succeeds the
(Prophet) is the faithful guardian who maintains the
vital characteristics of (knowledge) and (immunity
against error and transgression and sin, i. e "Issmah");
else more he should be appointed according to the
Divine will; thus he will be nominated for the decisive
post of the (Imam), who can maintain the nation that
holds the brigade of the heavenly mission, fortifying it
from delusion and perversity.
You would not miss the fact that, an (Imam) of such
prestige could by no means be appointed and
nominated by normal individuals, thus such a task
would only be determined by Allah the Exalted or by
another unerring (imam) who is inspired by Allah to do
so. 2
1Surah
(Women) verse 59.
Refer to (Duroos fe Alaqueda Al-Islamiah v. 2, Muhammad
Mesbah Al-Yazdi.
2
165
The (Shiite) believe that (Imamhood) is nothing but
the extension of (Prophethood) concept; rather it is
begotten by (Prophethood); but when some people
refused the concept of (Imamhood) that the ( Shiite)
adopted, the latter made it a reason that justifies their
notion of making (Imamhood) a separate origin of
religion that is independent from (Prophethood), so as
to assert this dogma.
61st Question:
Why is it improper to forsake the (unerring Imam)
who would be the (Wali) after the absence of the
gracious Prophet [P], substituting him by a normal
human being who would be the (Wali) for the Islamic
nation?
* Wherein the role of the (unerring Imam) in
governing the nation of the Prophet after his departure
[p] could be forsaken? This will bring about rendering
the achievements of the Prophet [p] subject to the
whims and interests of the opportunists and those who
anticipate mundance benefits, or those who came to
Islam for fear of killing or in anticipation of the spoils
of war.
This risk gains its particularity from the fact that the
nation has not attained a proper degree of knowledge,
maturity and comprehension that enables it to solve its
problems and dilemmas without refuging to a leader.
At that time, the nation was still premature in its
patterns of thinking and its general conduct and its
comprehension of the events and affairs that
surrounded it; hence it was quite possible that trends of
perversion and ideological delusion would take the
initiative to destroy the great ideological monument of
a nation in a mission that the Messenger of Allah [p]
set.
166
What is the meaning of leaving the nation that was
still so close to the pre-Islamic age with all of its bad
traditions and tribial reactionary tendencies, with its
own?
Does not this mean that, the nation and the prophet's
efforts to set its educational and ideological structure
would be exposed to the whims of the ignorant and
their tendency to evil traditions and customs and
fanaticism, rather than committing themselves to the
right religion?!.
Is it proper to say that the Prophet [P] had neglected
the nation after his departure leaving it without a
guardian that might control and direct its affairs and its
procession, whereas he [P] never went for war unless
he [p] appointed a deputy to administrate the affairs of
(Al-Medina); so why did he [P] ignore his mission and
nation after his death while he did not ignore it when he
[p] was alive??!! Although he [p] knew- better than
anybody else- that the internal enemies, namely the
idolators, the Jews and he hypocrites, in addition to the
external enemies, namely the Persian empire in the east
and the Roman empire in the north, were planning day
and night to abort the Islamic state, seizing the
opportunity to fulfill their evil designs.
I do not quite realize, why should the Wisdom of
Allah dictate that He perfects His creation in the best
form and guise, so that the creature would not suffer the
pains caused by a deficiency in creation and innovation,
in the same time, that Wisdom forgets to provide for
man reasons that will bring him happiness?! No doubt
that happiness towards which man aspires is basically
determined by appointing the honest faithful guardian
who will convert the others to the straight way; for the
167
(Imam) is the articulating Qur'an who is the mere
embodiment of the morality and attitudes of heaven. 1
62nd Question:
How was the guardian (Imam) appointed by God to
succeed the Prophet [P]?
* After what have been said hereinbefore about the
importance of the (Imam) and his role in the
continuation and permanency of the religion that the
(Master of Messengers) set; no wonder then if we find
so many Qur'anic verses and gracious narrations from
the progeny of Muhammad [p] certifying the
appointment of a guardian to succeed the prophet [P];
especially that guardianship (Wilaiah) to Islam is
similar to the soul of the body, there is no body without
a soul as well as there is no Islam without (Wilaiah). i.
e guardianship.
Let us trace together the texts that determine the
guardianship so as to meditate their significances and
connotations.
I have found in the book (Duros Fe Al-Aquida AlIslamiah2) a useful summary that answers our question,
so I relate this answer to you the way it is, and let us
meditate on it thoroughly:
This day have I perfected for you your religion and
completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam
as a religion; 3
1
Refer to (Baheth How Al-Welayah) Martyr M.B.Al-Sadr
(Duroos fe Al-Aquida Al-Islamiah) volume 2, page 166-170,
(Al-Ilaheat) v. 2, page 528-548. (Usool Al-Aquida Fe Al-Islam)
volume 4, page 137-147.
2(Muhammad Taqui Al-Yazdi) volume 2, page 173-177.
3
Surah (The Food) verse 3.
168
This verse has been set down in the (Departure
Pilgrimage -1 )a fact about which all interpreters agreed
unanimously- few months before the death of the
Prophet [P.].
In the beginning the verse exposes that the idolators
had lost every hope of afflicting any harm to Islam:
This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your
religion.2
Then the verse asserts that the religion is perfected
that day and so is Allah's favor. Noticing the various
narrations about this verse, it becomes clear that
(perfection) which was timed with the disbeliever's
despair, has been only achieved by nominating an heir
to the Prophet [P]; a nomination that is set down by
Allah the Exalted.
The foes of Islam expected that Islam will miss its
leadership by the death of the prophet [P], specially that
Muhammad [p] has no male descendants, thus it would
have been more fragile and shaky; whereas Islam
attained its perfection by nominating the heir to
leadership, thus the grace of God was perfected and the
disbelievers' aspirations were aborted. 3
Appointing the heir was done when the Prophet [P]
returned from the (Departure Pilgrimage); he [p]
gathered all the pilgrims in a place called (Ghadeer
khum) addressing them with a lengthy speech through
which he asked:
1The
last pilgrimage which the Prophet [p] led from (Medina)
to (Mecca). Translator.
2Surah (The Food) verse 3.
3For further information refer to (Tafseer Al-Meezan) volume
4, page 157 and thereafter.
169
(Do not I own thy souls more that thou do, they
said: aye)1
Then he [p] took Imam Ali [p] by the shoulder,
holding him in front of the people and said:
(He whom I am his guardian, Ali be his guardian)
Thus he [p] certified Imam Ali's [p] heavenly
guardianship; so everybody who was present then paid
tribute to him, including the second Caliph ( i. e Omar
Ben Al-Khattab), who congratulated Ali [p] saying:
(Blassed be thee O! Ali, thou became my guardian
and the guardian of every Mo'men.)2
At that day the gracious verse was revealed:
This day have I perfected for you your religion and
completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam
as a religion3
The Messenger of Allah [P] hailed Allah and said:
(The perfection of my prophet hood and the
perfection of Allah's religion is the guardianship of Ali
who will succeed me).
A narration related by a prominent Sunni
knowledgeable Scholar said:
(Abu-Baker) the first caliph and (Omar) the second
Caliph, stood addressing the Prophet [p]:
O, Messenger of Allah; do these verses concern
Ali [p]?
1The
Prophet [P] here is referring to the verse 6, Surah (The
Allies)
2refer
to 9Abaquat al-An'war)
authenticate the speech.
3Surah (The Food) verse 3.
170
and
(Alghadeer)
to
He [P] said:
Aye, they concern him and my other heirs till the
Day of Judgment.
They said:
O Messenger of Allah show those heirs to us.
He [P] said: Ali who is my brother, minister, heir,
caliph in my nation, and the (Wali) of every Mo'men
[believer], he who will succeed me, after him my
grandson (Al-Hassan) then my grandson (Al-Husain),
then nine heirs from the progeny of al-Husain, one after
another, the Qur'an is with them and they are with the
Qur'an never leaving each other until they come to meet
me at the pool of paradise) 1
So many narrations relate that the prophet [P] had
been commanded to propagate publicly that the Imam
who will succeed him is Ameer Al-Mo'meneen [p]; but
the Prophet put into his consideration that the people
(might) think that he is expressing his personal opinion.
Thus they (might) disobey him; so he was looking
for a proper chance that provides the suitable
circumstances to declare this appointment, until the
gracious verse came.
O Apostle! Deliver what has been revealed to you
from your lord; and if you do it not, then you have not
delivered His message, and Allah will protect you
from the people2 ;
Through addressing the Prophet [P] and asserting the
necessity of relating this divine commandment – which
maintains the same importance as other divine
commandments-, and if the Prophet [p] does not
propagate it, this means that he does not propagate all
1
(Ghayat Al-Maram) chapter 58, speech 4, coppied from (AlFra'aid) by (Al-Hamaweny).
2surah (The Food) verse 67. Refer to (Tafseer Al-Meezan) v.
6 page 41 and further.
171
the mission of God; Allah promised the Prophet [P] that
he will fortify him against all the probable reactions
and reflexes that are expected from some people
towards this proclamation. Thus the Prophet [p]
realized- when this verse came- that it is high time to
do that task and there is no good in postponing it
anymore, so he took the initiative in (Ghadeer khum)
and told the people about it.1
Note able about this day is the public announcement
of this appointment in front of the people who granted
their allegiance to Imam Ali [p]; in other normal days
the Prophet [P] so often hinted and declared that his
successor is Ali Ameer Al-Momeneen [P]. When the
following verse came:
And warn your nearest relations.2
Those were the first days of the Prophet's [p]
mission, so he said to his tribe:
(Which of you shall support me in my mission; I
shall make him my brother, my guardian to you, and
my caliph for you)
Both Sunnis and Shiites reached to the conclusion
that nobody volunteered to support the Prophet [p]
except Imam Ali.3
Furthermore, when the following verse came:
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle
and those in authority from among you;4
1
The Sunni knowledgables attributed this narration to seven
apostles of the prophet [P] namely: (Zayd Ben Arquam), (Abu
sayd Al-Khedri), (Ibn Addas), (Jabber Al-Anssari), (Al-Bura'a
Ben Azzib), (Abu Hurayrah), (Ibn Massud). Refer to (AlGhadeer) volume 1.
2Surah (The poets) verse 214.
3(tareekh Al- Tabbari) page 3- 64.
4Surah (Women) verse 59.
172
Total obedience to (those in authority) was made a
compulsion to all Moslems; their obedience was
measured up to the obedience of the prophet [P.]:
Jabber Al- Anssari asked the Prophet [p] about those
who must be obeyed?
The prophet [p] answered:
(O, Jabber! They are my successors and the Imams
of Moslems who will succeed me; the first of them is
Ali Ben Abi Talib, Al- Hasan, Al- Husain, then Ali Ben
Al- Husain, then Muhammad Ben Ali who was
mentioned in the (Old Testament) by the (Baquer), this
one O' Jabber, you will live to see, thence send my
greeting to him; after him Alsadique Jaffar Ben
Muhammad, then Mussa Ben Ja'ffar, Ali Ben Mussa,
Muhammad Ben Ali, Ali Ben Muhammad, Al- Hasan
Ben Ali, then that one who carries my name and my
nickname, the plea of Allah on earth, (Iben Al-Hasan
Ben Ali).1
Like the way the Prophet [p] had foretold; Jabber
remained alive until (Al- Baquir) [p] became an (Imam)
and he told him the Prophet's [p] greetings:
In a narration related by (Abi Basseir), he said:
I asked (Abu Abdullah Al- Sadiq) [p] about the
meaning of Allah's verse:
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle
and those in authority from among you2!
He [p] said:
It concerns Ali Ben Abi Tallib, Al- Hasan and AlHusain [p.]
So I said to him [p]: People say why did Allah
(Glorified be He) not name Ali and his family
manifestly in His Book?
He [p] answered:
1
(Ghayat Al- Maram) volume 10, page 267 (Ithbat Al- Hudat)
volume 3, page 123 (Yanabee'u Al- Maudah) page 494.
2Surah (Women) verse 59.
173
Tell them that the verses of prayer came to the
Messenger of Allah [p] without declaring the number of
the kneelings of adoration, later on the Messenger of
Allah interpreted it for the people; as well as the verses
of (Al- Zekat) he [p] interpreted their judgments- When
the verse:
O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Apostle
and those in authority from among you!
Revealed to the Messenger of Allah [p] he said:
(He whom I am his guardian, Ali be his guardian)
then the Prophet [p] added:
I recommend you to stick to the Book of Allah and to
my progeny whom I asked Allah to keep them together
until doomsdays when He brings them to me.
The Prophet also said:
Do not teach them for they are more knowledgeable
than you, (They) neither will delude you from
conversion nor will (they) mislead you into perversity (
i, e) the Holy Book, and Muhammad's progeny [p.] 1
The Messenger of Allah [P] several times repeated
this speech.
At the last days of his [p] life he said:
I departure leaving to ye two rare things, the Book of
Allah and my progeny, they will stick together until
they come to me at the pool of paradise )2
The Prophet [p] said too:
(The esteem of my progeny among you is similar the
(Ark of Noah), He who gets on its board will survive,
and he Who retards from it will sink) 3
1(Ghayat
Al-Maram) volume 3 page 265.
2This speech has been narrated by the reverent Sunni
knowledgeable men namely: Al-Termithi, Al-Nessa'ai, AlHakim.
3(Mustadrek) Al-Hakim volume 3, page 151.
174
He [p] several times addressed Ali [P] saying:
You are the guardian of every faithful person after
me.1
And there are so many other speeches2 , which there
is not enough space to mention here.
63rd Question:
Must the guardian (Imam) who succeeds the prophet
own the same fortification against transgression and
immunity against sin like the prophet [P.]
* Now that the role of the (Imam) became clear
especially after the absence of the Prophet [p]; and now
that the missionary importance of the (Imam) to keep
the Islamic nation safe from going astray became clear,
we do not have the slightest doubt that the Imam must
be unerring, for the same reasons we have already
clarified about the (Issmah) of the Prophet.
According to this we assert the fortification against
error, sin, and transgression of the twelve Apostolic
Imams in addition to Fattemah Al-Zehr'a [P]; their
(Issmah) has been clearly manifested in the purification
verse:
Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from
you, O people of the House! And to purify you a
(thorough) purifying. 3
Allah's (desire) here does not signify the juristic will
of Him- i. e His compulsory judgment about the
progeny of Muhammad [p] in cleaning themselves from
1(Mustadrek
Al-Hakim) volume 3, page 134, 111, Swaiqu
Ben Hajer page 103. mussnad Ibn Hanbil volume 1, page 231.
2(Kemal Al-Deen wa Tamam Al-Ne'amah) Al-Sadooque (AlBahar) Al-Majlessi.
3
Surah (The Allies) verse 33.
175
every sin and transgression-; for the progeny of
Muhammad [P] own no particularity in this respect, and
they are similar to all other subjects who must be
committed to those duties.
The meaning of (desire) i. e (will) in the verse, then,
is limited to the (formative will)- i. e Allah has created
the progeny of Muhammad [p] moulding their
substance from a material that is pure from every sin
and transgression.
There are so many narrations in the (Sunni) reference
books certifying the meaning that the verse concerns
(the five people of the cloak )namely; the Prophet [P],
Imam Ali, Fattemah, Al-Hasan, and Al-Husain.
The Messenger of Allah [P] said to me: [O Ali! This
verse was revealed to you and my two grandsons (AlHasan and Al-Husain), and those who are Imams from
your progeny.
I said ( i. e Imam Ali): O' Messenger of Allah how
many Imams will succeed you?
He [p] said[ You Ali, then your two sons Al-Hasan
and Al-Husain,; after Al-Husain his son Ali will
succeed, then Ali's son Muhammad, after whom his son
Jaffar, then Jaffar's son Muss'a, after whom his son Ali,
after Ali Muhammad his son will succeed, and after
Muhammad Ali his son will follow, after Ali his son
Al-Hasan will succeed, and after Al-Hasan his son (AlHujah) will succeed. Thus I found their names written
on the leg of the Throne; I asked Allah glorified be He
about that, He said: O Muhammad, they are the imams
who will succeed thee, purified, unerring; cursed shall
be their foes]. 1

A rapid historical review will follow in this chapter to
declare the details concerning the gracious family of the Prophet
[P]. Translator.
1
(Ghayat Al-Maram) volume 6, page 293.
176
The arguments that rose about the purification
verses, and the much ado that arose about it to
determine who are really the 9 people of the House), is
not our concern here.1elieving in the (Issmah) i. e
fortification of the Prophet [P] and the [Imam]
necessitates a belief in their immunity of knowledge, i.
e they must own a whole absolute comprehension of
whatever they need in various situations and the
solutions they innovate for them. This means that their
immunity is not limited to the circle of commitment to
the commandments and prohibitions of Allah, rather it
includes- in addition to that – a far – sightedness and a
correctness of thinking about any topic or quest that
requires a decisive solution.
Our dogma goes farther to believe that if the Imam
intends to know something, he will definitely know it.
Imam Al-Sadique [p] said:
If any Imam wants to know, he will surely know.2
Certainly his knowledge will come by means of
revelation the way revelation came to Marium [p] and
Mose's mother [p]. For this reason some Imams took
the responsibility of imam hood even before their
adolescence.3
If we inquire about the knowledge of the Prophet [P]
nobody suspects that he has his own revelation.
Say: I am only a mortal like you, it is revealed to me4 .
1For
further information refer to (Mefaheem Al-Qur'an) for
the reverent knowledgeable (Al-Tabatabai) volume 16, in
interpreting the verse mentioned above.
2(Usool Al-Kaffi) volume 1, page 198.
3As it happened to Imam Muhammad Ben Ali Al-Jawad [P]
the ninth Imam of the twelve Apostolic Imams [p.]
4Surah (Ha Mim) verse 6.
177
64th Question:
The Islamic nation has been deprived from its
genuine Imam who is represented in the twelfth Imam
of the twelve Apostolic Imams [P] who is absent now,
so how should the efforts of the Prophet [p] and his
mission and his nation, be protected from dispersion?
And what is the (Shiite) dogma about the great
international reformer (Al-Mehdi) of whom we are
promised (May Allah fasten his appearance?)
* The nation has been deprived from its Imam who
might have led its mundane and religious affairs, only
because the people themselves were unjust:
And We did them no injustice, but they were unjust
to themselves.1
But the Imam [p– ]in spite of his absence- remains a
faithful guard who is watching from a distance the
affairs and the changes that inflict the prophet's mission
[P] and his nation; his absence and guardianship goes
with the general interests and divine necessities .Hence
the unique heirs for the Prophets and Imams [p] during
the absence of (Al-Mehdi), are the great scholars who
will act for their roles even though their prestige is less
than that of the (Prophets) and (Imams) [p]; thence their
attitudes, opinions and conducts sometimes are correct,
other times are wrong (according to their limited
knowledge for they are not fortified and unerring;
unlike the Prophets and Imams.
An (Imam) may not necessarily exist manifestly
among people to carry on his mission, rather he may
carry on the duties that are attributed to him by Allah
1Surah
(The Bee) verse 118.
178
even though he is absent and the people do not
recognize his presence similar to what happened to a
good servant of Allah's , namely (Al-Khedir) [p];
according to the narrations 1 we have, for he used to
fulfill Allah's commandments with nobody recognizing
him except Moses [p]; and even Moses [P] did not
recognize him in the beginning.
Then they found one from among our servants whom
We had granted mercy from Us and whom We had
taught knowledge from Ourselves “65” Musa said to
him: shall I follow you on condition that you should
teach me right knowledge of that you have been
taught. “66” 2
In the letter that Imam (Al-Mehdi) (owner of the
present time and the future) [P] wrote for one of his
deputies, He [P] said:
The benefit the people get from my absence is
similar to the benefit they get from the sun if ever
veiled by the clouds.3
Imam Ali [P] said:
Aye by Lord aye, the earth is never deprived of
anybody who will withhold the evidence of Allah,
either manifest, well known, or terrified, hidden, so
that the evidences and proofs of Allah shall not be
disproved. 4
How should we know! May be Allah has certain
wisdom in making the Imam absent; a wisdom that our
minds do not realize, for how many divine
jurisprudences that we apply into our lives although we
are ignorant of their secrets and great connotations.
1
(Behar Al-Anwar) volume 5, page 232, tale 6. chapter 10.
(The Cave) verse 65-66.
3(Kamal Al-Deen) Al-Sadooque, chapter 45, speech 4.
4
(Nehj Al-Balagha) wisdom 174 in a speech he [P] addressed
to (Kumail ben Zyad Al-Nakh'ay).
2Surah
179
Maybe Allah has hidden his Imam to examine our faith
and patience, so as to distinguish the evil from the good
from among us. Thus Allah will test our strife and
effort in the way to prepare a suitable ground for the
appearance of the Imam which is only expressed by
committing ourselves to his legislations and teachings,
standing firmly in front of the ups and downs of time.
Alif Lam Mim" 1 "Do men think that they will be left
alone on saying, we believe, and not be tried ?“2”and
certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will
certainly know those who are true and he will
certainly know the liars "3". 1
Needless to say, that any one who has read the Holy
Qur'an would have definitely noticed that the aim
which all prophets anticipated along the sequence of
time had been nothing but leading the people towards
perfection and right, which is an aim that is conditioned
by the existence of a regime which has enough
authority and power that will be employed to propagate
the word of unitheism and to unify the people's word.
The (Hidden) Imam of the progeny of Muhammad
[P] (May Allah fasten his appearance), will appear to
achieve both aims that are mentioned hereinabove, by
means of the divine government of justice so as to fill
the earth with justice and peace after it has been filled
with oppression and injustice, and after the people are
fed up with the regimes and legislations that the
ignorants set forth, so a general feeling of a need for a
godly leader will take over the people, a leader who
will accomplish their hopes, quieten their pains, and be
a blam for their wounds.
Hence, this vision became the ambition of all the
good and righteous, and a promise which Allah
1
surah (The Spinder) verses 1, 2, 3.
180
committed Himself to, so that the efforts of the
Prophets and their apostles and adherents will be
fruitful:
And certainly We wrote in the Book after the
reminder that (as for) the land, My righteous servants
shall inherit it.1
And We desired to bestow a favor upon those who
were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the
Imams, and to make them the heirs.2
It has been narrated that the prophet [P] said:
Ali is the imam who will succeed me, leading my
nation; from his progeny the (Hidden) (Anticipated)
Imam, who-if ever appears- will fill the earth with
justice and peace after it has been filled with
oppression and injustice. 3
Thus, anticipating the ease that is only attained by
setting the divine government of justice which will be
led by its reformer and president (Al-Hujah Ben AlHassan.) (May Allah fasten his appearance), is one of
the greatest deeds, for those who await the (Hidden)
(M 4 )pave the way for him; this does by no mean
signify that he must stay stagnant doing nothing to
solve the problems that surround him, for such a
negative waiting is not to be considered into God's
estimation as an effort and deed that deserves a reward .
How should a man invite a guest to visit him without
preparing any kind of hospitality for him justifying this
by saying he was waiting for him. The duties of
hospitality necessitate making the essential preparations
1Surah
(The Prophets) verse 105.
2Surah (The Narrative) verse 5.
3
(Yanabee'a Al-Mawadah) page 494.
4(M) abreveation for (may Allah fasten his appearance) which
is a special prayer that is dedicated to (Imam Al-Mehdi) alone.
Translator.
181
and getting ready for the guest in the appropriate from
which cannot be achieved, except by exerting the
essential effort needed in this respect.
It is rather odd that some fools and some
opportunists went so far to claim that the appearance of
(Al-Mehdi) (M.) is conditioned by the fact that earth
should be filled with oppression and injustice, therefore
we ought to fill it with corruption and injustice so as to
assist quickly in paving the way for the appearance of (
al-Mehdi) (M)!!!
Such fools miss the fact that if ever (Al-Mehdi) (M)
appears he will confront them before anybody else for
they are the symbols and advocates of corruption,
perversion and delusion which contradict the essentials
of Islam and its teachings propagating the good and the
betterment of man, and evoking him to dispose all
kinds of corruption, perversion and delusion, and
pushing him forward to enjoin what is right and forbid
the wrong.
I do not quite understand how Allah is obeyed from
whence He is disobeyed?!
On the other hand, the expression (the earth is filled
with oppression and injustice) which is employed by
the gracious narrations does not connotate that every
spot of the world and everyone of the people are
dominated by the corruption and injustice; it rather
signifies that injustice and corruption will over reign all
over the world, yet this comprehensive condition may
skip a small spot of land and some few individuals; or
else, who will support the Imam in his reformative
movement and his rise?
The narrations asserted that he will have a league
that will support him, i. e this league is exempted from
the general corruption which overwhelms the earth.
You might find the notion of the (great reformer)
who is anticipated to fulfill his reformatory measures,
in the religions of heaven, and even in some materialist
182
trends, namely Marxism, which believes that the end of
history means the end of all kinds of oppression,
selfishness, and aggression, for it is the stage in which
class system and personal interests are aborted, so
people may live in an earthly paradise away from
troubles that disturb their peace and happiness.
According to the Marxists, the (reformer) is not a
single individual, rather it is a group (namely the
proletariat class) which strive to regain their stolen
right, and which will finally establish the communist
society.
Islam also is one of the religions that emphasized the
existence of the guiding reformer. Both sets (Sunnis)
and (Shiites) agreed on this but they differ in
determining who is (that) reformer, Whose son will he
be; and is he alive, or is he to be begotten in his
appointed time.
The narrations that certify the (Mehdi) who is the
reformer of our nation have been repetitive and
recurrent from the authorities of both sects (Sunni and
Shiite).
It has been related that the gracious Prophet [p] said:
If the time is over but for a day; Allah would envoy a
man from my progeny who will fill the earth with
justice as it has been filled with injustice.1
The Shiites claim that the converter and reformer of
this nation is one of the grandsons of Imam Ali [p],
exclusively they specify that he is the son of the
eleventh Imam, Al- Hasan Ben Ali Al- As`skari.
1(Muhammad
Ahmad Ben Hanbel) V.2. Page 278, as well as
so many reference in( Sunni) books. For further information refer
to; (Saheed Moslem) V.8. p. 185 (Musnad Abi- Dawod) (Kitab
Al- Mehdi) V.4, p. 151. (Saheed Al- Termithi) V.2, p. 36.
(Sunan Al- Nessai) V.6, p. 43; in addition to the countless Shiite
reference books.
183
Imam (Al- Mehdi) (M) was born in (Samara)1 in the
year 255 Hijrah taking the responsibility of Imam hood
while he was five years old after the martyrdom of his
father. Thence he disappeared for the first time, this
first disappearance is called (The lesser disappearance)
in which he did not (completely) lose contact with
people; rather he was in touch with them through his
deputies whom he chose as ambassadors between him
and the people; those deputies were successively:
Othman Ben Sayeed, Muhammad Ben Othman (the son
of the previous one). Al- Husain Ben Rawh, Ali Ben
Muhammad Al- Semri.
The lesser disappearance took 74 years, after which
deputation has been attributed to others taking a general
form according to certain restrictions and criteria, thus
(the greater disappearance) started to last until our
present day.
If we put in our consideration the will and potency of
Allah, it will not be strange to say that the Imam (M) is
still alive; Nuh [p] before him had been given a lengthy
age, for the spent among his people 950 years
according to the Holy Qur'an, nothing to say how many
years he lived before or after that.2
Jesus is still alive 3.The cave inhabitants had along
life (390 years according to the Holy Book 4)without
anything to eat or drink. Else more, reason and science
1(Samara):
a town that is situated on the Tigris river, 90 kms
north of Baghdad in Iraq, Translator.
2(And certainly We sent Nuh to his people, so he remained
among them a thousand years save fifty years. And the deluge
overtook them while they were unjust) Surah (The Spider) V.14.
3(And they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it
appeared to them so (like Isa)) Surah (Women) verse, 157.
4(And they remained in their cave three hundred years and
(some) add (another) nine) Surah the (Cave) verse, 25.
184
do not prevent its existence if ever its conditions
become available.
65th Question:
Can the counsel be an alternative for the manifest
texts which determine the caliph who succeeds the
prophet [p]?
* The counsel may not be a substitute for the clear
texts that determine the caliph after the prophet [p];
heretofore we have surveyed some of these texts; we
can not forsake the texts refuging to the counsel for this
is considered as giving a personal opinion to substitute
the text, which- definitely is worthless. (Texts here
means the verses of the Holy Qur'an expressing
judgments and legislations, they may mean too the
gracious narrations of the Apostolic Imams.)
And it behoves not a believing man and a
believing woman that they should have any choice in
their matter when Allah and His Apostle have
decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and
His Apostle, he surely strays off a manifest
straying.1
And your Lord creates and chooses whom He
pleases; to choose is not theirs; glory be to Allah,
and Exalted be He above what they associate (With
Him).2
The final judgment belongs to Allah and his
Messenger [p] alone, nobody else could violate this
unless his faith is disturbed and he forsook the league
of Al- Momenoon. [Believers].
1
Surah (The Allies) verse 36.
(The Narrative) verse 68.
2Surah
185
This is a general rule that has no exception even in
the respects of which Allah allowed His Messenger to
counsel the people.
Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal
with them gently, and had you been rough, hard
hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from
around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon
for them, and take counsel with them in the affair;
so when you have decided then place your trust in
Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.1
The Messenger of Allah [p] has the last decision to
determine every situation; people have no
determination in that.
His counsel [p] with them was only a way of paying
compliment to them to give them a sort of prestige in
the practical fields of life, in addition to the fact that the
counsel influences their commitment to the commands
of the prophet [p] and even to the commitment they
compelled themselves to, namely in difficult situations,
like war and other fatal situations. The prophet [p]
tended to counsel them to assure their allegiance and
gain their hearts.
The only reason for this conduct is that the prophet
[p] or the (Imam) can not fulfill his task alone; he needs
the others to assist him to achieve the commandments
of Allah.
The accurate meaning of the counsel had not been
applied after the decease of the prophet [p], i.e (the
conference that took place in the cove of Beni Saidah);
only few individuals from the (Muhajereen) and (AlAnssar 2)attended that conference.
1
Surah (The Family of Imran) verse 159.
are the emigrants who accompanied and followed
the prophet [p] from (Mecca) to (Al-Medinah). Al-Anssar; are
the original inhabitants of Al-Medinah who supported the
Prophet and committed themselves to Islam. Translator.
2Muhajereen;
186
Those individuals did not represent all the strata and
classes of the (Moslems); as well as they did not
represent all the authoritative individuals in that
society, Ali [p] who had been the most committed,
sacrificial, wise, loyal, and knowledgeable Moslem did
not attend the cove conference for he was busy in
preparing the mourning rituals of the late Prophet [p].
Ali [p], as well, objected to what happened in the cove
refusing to swear an allegiance to the new caliph they
chose. A great number of the prominent apostles of the
prophet [p] also objected to what took place in the cove
namely, Al-Muqudad, Salman, Al-Zbagr, Ammar Ben
Yasir, Abdullah Ben Masaud, Saad Ben Abadah, AlAbbas Ben Abdulmuttaleb, Ussamah Ben Zayd, Obbai
Ben kaab, Othman Ben Hunaif, and so many others.
Now even if we forget everything we said erst; the
counsel as a principle has not been adopted thoroughly
in nominating the second caliph (Omar Ben AlKhattab) who was appointed by the first caliph without
counseling anybody; as well as the third caliph who
was nominated by a selective style of counsel, for the
second caliph Omar Ben Al-khattab nominated-when
he was dying-six people without counseling anybody,
those sex people were Ali Ben Abi Talib [p], Othman
Ben Affan, Talhah Ben Abdullah, Al-Zubayr Ben AlAwam, Saad Ben Abi-Waquass, Abdulrahman Ben
Auff. The second caliph set forth a special way to
nominate the caliph from among them, thus he said
addressing (Suhaib):
If five of them reached to an agreement and only one
refused, so behead him by your saber… and if four of
them reached to an agreement and only two refused,
behead them… If three of them came to agreement and
the other three did not, so refuge to the judgment of
Abdullah Ben Omar, if they did not agree about his
judgment, so all of you be with the party of
187
Abdulrahman Ben Auff and kill the others if they
refuse the people's agreement)1
If (the counsel) or other methods of nomination were
legal and acceptable, it is quite logical that the prophet
[p] would have declared removing any ambiguity about
it, specially that it is one of the most important and
sensitive subjects according to which the chief of the
nation is appointed, a chief who will control the
wordily and religious affairs of the nation; yet the
prophet had never pronounced even a word about (the
counsel).
Is it reasonable that the Prophet [p] should give the
rein to the nation without showing the least concern or
attention about a most important matter as such?
Is it reasonable that the Prophet [p] should neglect
that matter, while others like Abi Bakir, or Omar
seemed more concerned about the destiny of the nation,
so they nominate their successors in the time that the
Prophet of grace [p] would not do that??!!
As long as we do not have any evidence that declares
a speech from the Prophet [p] mentioning (the counsel)
or other ways of appointing the leader who will succeed
him, hence we have to refer to the texts and speeches he
[p] left which declare that Imam Ali [p] should be the
caliph and Ameer Al-Momeneen after the Prophet [p]2
66th Question:Then why did the(Sunnis) not Submit to the texts of
the prophet [p]?
Anybody reading history and the example of the first
Moslems would not be astonished by that fact; for the
closest apostles to the Messenger of Allah [p] had
1
(Tareekh Al-Tabari), volume 3, page 294.
Refer to (Al-Milal wa Al-Nehal) Jaffar Su6hani v.6 page
171-195 for futher details.
2
188
always been disobeying him [p] in spite of the Qur'an
continuous assurance that he is their absolute leader
who must be obeyed and followed at any price.
(O you who believe: be not forward in the presence of
Allah and his Apostle, and be careful of (your duty to)
Allah; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing)1
Several times did the apostles disobey the Messenger
of Allah during his life; hereinafter are some of which ;
1-Al-Hudaibiah settlement:- The articles of this
settlement which the Messenger of Allah signed
provoked some Moslems; so they objected to it. Omar
Ben Al-khattab was one of them, he regarded the
settlement a disgrace to religion. 2
2- Preparing the army of Ussamah Ben Zayd: The
Prophet [P] in the last days of his life commanded the
Moslems to prepare an army by the leader ship of
Ussamah, but troubles rose among them about joining
this army, although the Prophet [P] emphasized that
they ought to join this army, rather he cursed those who
retard from it. 3
3- Disobeying the Prophet's [p] command about
the battle of (Uhud): The story of what happened in
the battle of (Uhud) is well known, for the Messenger
of Allah [p] commanded that the 50 bow-carries should
be situated on the (Aineen) mountain, naming Abdullah
Ben Jubair as a commander for them, thus he [P] told
him:
Prevent by your arrows the enemy knights from
taking us by surprise from behind, and stick to your
1Surah
(the Chambers) verse (1).
(Al- Serrah Al-Nabawiah) IBn Husham v.2,p.316-317.
3
(Tareekh Al-Tabbari) volume 2, page 430.
2
189
post, never leaving it whether we gained victory or
lost; be firm lest you should be taken from behind.
But, when the bow-carriers felt that Moslems are
about to gain victory, they left their posts anticipating
the spoils of war although their commander asserted
that they should stick to their posts, the result was as it
was (The Moslems did not win the battle and they had
great casualties.
4- Disobeying the prophet's order to bring a
fountain pen and an ink beaker:
Iben Abbass related that:
When the prophet [p] was fatally ill he said:
Bring me a sheet of paper in which I shall write to
you a letter that you will never delude after it.
Omar said:
Pain has overtaken the Prophet [p], and we have the
Holy Book of Allah that is quite enough for us, thus
they differed and much ado took over them, the prophet
[p]said:
Be gone from me, ye ought not to bring forth thy
disputes in my presence.
Iben Abbass went angry and said:
[Shame it be, all the shame be on that who
prevented the Messenger of Allah [p] from writing
his letter.]1
*
1(Saheeh
*
*
Al-Bukhari) v. 1, the book of knowledge, page 99.
190
No wonder then that those who disobeyed the
prophet [p] in the respects mentioned above, would go
so far to disobey him in other respects, you may refer,
to the (Seerah) books and other historical references
wherein you will find the essential evidence that may
satisfy you. 1
67th Question:
Can we have a rapid historical review on the life of
the unerring, fortified [p] (Fattema and her father the
prophet [P]; her husband Imam Ali [P] and her sons?
* However hard we try and inspect we may not
realize the essence of the fortified with all the
dimensions of his character, for none realizes the
essence of the fortified unless he himself is fortified,
but we have to do our best in this respect; so we shall
spotlight their lives recognizing as much as we can
their gracious course of living. But we shall summarize
our research as much as we can committing ourselves
to the discipline we have drawn for ourselves
heretofore.
Herein below is a short review about their lives [P] :2
The First fortified (The last of the Prophets)
His name and family
Muhammad (The Messenger of Allah) Ben
Abdullah Ben Abdulmuttalib Ben Hashim Ben Abed
Munaf Ben Qussay Ben Kilab Ben Al-Nassr Ben
kenanah Ben Khuzaimah Ben Middrakah Ben Elias
1
For further information refer to (Al-Milal Walnehal) v.6, p.
79-97 (Al-Muraja'at) Mraja'a 86-100.
2
We depended in this review on the book (Risalat Islamiah)
volume 1, p. 319-353, by Addel Al-Alawi, summariziing the
information.
191
Ben Mudhar Ben Nizzar Ben Ma'ad Ben Adenan.
Some of his [p] well known titles are
Al-Ahmad, Al-Ameen, Al-Mustafa, Al-Seraj AlMuneer, Al-Basheer, Al-Natheer.
His nickname:
Abu Al-Quassim.
His father is:
Abdullah who died while the Prophet [P] was still
unborne; some narrations assert that the father died
when the Prophet was two years and four months old.
His mother is:
Amenah Bent Wahab Ben Abdumunaf, who died
when the Prophet [P] was eight years old.
His birth day:
He was born on Friday 17th Rabee'a Al-Awal of the
Elephant year, 1 55 days after the extermination of the
elephant lot. (the year 570 A.D.).
Place of the birth is:
The gracious Mecca.
He was born: when (Unusherwan) was the king of
Persia.
Age: 62 years, 11 months and 11 days.
The age of his [p] prophet hood:
He was sent and appointed as a Prophet when he was
forty, on 27th Rajjab. His Prophet hood lasted 22 years,
7 months and 3 days, 13 years of it in the gracious
1
The emperor of Abyssinia attacked Mecca that year riding a
big elephant. Allah sent birds of prey from heaven casting
against the army stones of baked clay thus they were
exterminated. Translator.
192
Mecca, then he migrated on the 1st of Rabee'a Al-Awal
to reach (Al-Medinah) on the 12th of the same month.
Embellishment of his stamp ring is:
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah.
One of his wives is:
Lady khadijah the great the daughter of Khuailed.
His death:
Monday 28th Suffar, 11th A.H.
Reason of his death:
The poison that a Jew woman gave to him.
His gracious tomb:
He was buried in his house in the prophet's mosque
in (Al-Medina Al-Munawrah.)
The second Fortified (The First Imam)
His name and family:
Ali Ben Abi Tallib Ben Abdulmuttalib ben Hashim
Ben Abed Munaf Ben Qussay, transcending to the same
family line of the Prophet [P.]
Some of his titles are:
Ameer Al-Momeneen, Assad Allah, Al-Ghalib,
Ya'asub Al-Deen, The greatest Wali of Allah, AlMurtadha, Hayder, Al-karrar.
His nick name:
Abu Turab, Abu Al-Hasan, Abu Zayneb, Abu AlHasaneen, Abu Al-Sibttain.
His father:
(Imran); some say that his name is abed-Muhaf
whose nick name was Abi Tallib, Tallib was his eldest
son, and he is the sheikh of Al-Batha.
His mother is:
Fattemah Bent Assad Ben Hashim Ben Abed-Munaf,
she had the honor of being almost a step-mother to the
Messenger of Allah [P] (who lost his mother when he
was very young.
His birthday:
193
Friday, 13th Rajjab, 30 years after the year of the
Elephant.
Place of birth:
The gracious Mecca, inside the Holy Ka'abah when
(Khisrow Perweez) was the monarch of Persia.
His age 63 years.
The age of his Imamhood:
From the year 11 Hijrah lasting 29 years. He was
formally appointed as a Caliph after Othman whence he
remained 4 years and 9 months in his post.
His wife is:
Lady Fattemah Al-Zahra'a [p.]
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Al-Mulk Li-Allah Al-Wahid Al-Quahar.
His Martyrdom:
Sunday or Monday 21st Ramadhan; some people
claim it was on Thursday 40 A.H.
Cause of Martyrdom:
Abdulrahman Ben Muljim Al-Muradi (cursed be he)
stroke him by a poisoned saber during the reign of
Constantine the monarch of Bezantum.
His Tomb:
Al-Najjaf Al-Ashraf.
The Third Fortified (Supreme Lady of the world)
Her name and family
Fattemah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah
[P.]
Her titles:
Al-Zehra'a, First Lady of the women of the world,
Al-Hawra'a, Al-Unsiah, Al-Mumtahanah, Al-Sabirah,
Al-Sediquah, Al-Taherah, Al-Ma'asumah, Muhadethet
Al-Mala'ika, Habiebat-u-Abeha, Al-Batool.
Her nick names:
Umw Abeeha, Umw Al-Hasaneen, Umw Al-Ai'mma
Al-Nujaba'a.
194
Her father:
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah [P].
Her mother:
Lady Khadijah Bent Khuailed.
Her birthday:
Friday the 20th of Jamadi Al-Thani, 2nd or 5th year
after the Prophet hood.
Place of birth:
The gracious Mecca during the reign of the Persian
monarch (Khisrow Perweez).
Her age:
18 years, and 75 days or 40 days or 90 days: she lived
in her husband's house 9 years and some months.
Her husband:
Imam Ali Ben Abi Tallib [p]
Embellishment of her stamp ring:
Allah Wali Issmati- Amina Al-Mutawakelon.
Her martyrdom:
Sunday or Monday, 13th , or 14th or 15th Jamadi AlAwal, or 1st , or 2nd or 3rd Jamadi Al-Thani 11 A.H.
Cause of Martyrdom:
Qunfwth the serf of Omar kicked the door of her house
while she was standing behind it, so her rib was broken
and her pregnancy was aborted.
Her tomb:
Al-Madinah Al-Munawrah in a grave that is unknown,
until the appearance of Imam Al-Mehdi (M)
The Fourth Fortified (The Second Imam)
His name and family:
Imam Al-Hasan Ben Ali Ben Abi Tallib, nobody has
carried this name before him.
His titles:
Al-Mujtaba, Al-Zaki, Al-Nassih, Al-Wali Al-Sibtt AlAkbar, Al-Sayed, Sayeed Shabab Ahel Al-Jenah (Lord
of the Youth of Paradise).
195
His nickname:
Abu Muhammad.
His father:
Imam Ali [p].
His mother:
Fattemah Al-Zehera'a [p].
His birthday:
15th, Ramadhan 2 or 3 A.H. on the night of Tuesday.
Place of birth:
Al-Medinah Al-Munawrah, during the reign of
Yazdajurd the Persian monarch.
His age:
47or 48 years of which he spent 7 years and some,
months during the life of his grandfather the Prophet
[p]; 37 years during the life of his father; then he [p]
survived 10 years after the death of his father.
The age of his Imamhood:
From the 21st Ramadhan 40 A.H. and for ten years
further.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Al- Izzatw Li-Allah.
One of his wives:
Umw Besher Bent Abi Masswd Al- Khazraji.
His martyrdom:
Thursday 70th or 28th of Saffar 50 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
One of his wives, namely Jeadah Bent Al- Ashath AlKindi poisoned him by the command of Muawiah who
was a caliph then.
His Tomb:
He was buried in Al- Baquia’a in Al- Medinah AlMunawrah close to his grandmother Fattemah Bent
Assad.
The Fifth Fortified (The Third Imam)
His name and family:
Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben Abi Tallib.
196
His titles:
Sayeed Al-Shuhada’a (Lord of the Martyrs), Tha’ar
Allah, Al-Witter Al- Mawtoor, Abu-Al- Ahrar, Abi-AlDhaim.
His nickname:
Abu Abdullah grandson of the Messenger of Allah.
His father:
Ali Ben Abi TAllib [p].
His mother:
Fattemah Al- Zehra’a [p].
His birthday:
rd
3 Sha’aban, 4 or 5 A.H.
Place of birth:
Al- Medinah Al- Munawrah during the reign of
Yazdajurd the Persian monarch.
His age:
57 or 58 years.
The age of his imamhood:
From Suffar A.H. and for eleven years further.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
(Ena Allaha Baleghu Amrah)
One of his wives:
Shahzenan the daughter of Yazdajurd the monarch of
Iran.
His martyrdom:
Monday 10th Muharam 61 A.H.
The cause of martyrdom:
He was killed the (day of Taff) after exterminating
most of his family and followers by the command of
Yazeed Ben Muaawiah Ben Abi Suffian (May Allah
curse them).
His tomb:
His gracious Shrine in Karbala’a.
The sixth Fortified (The Fourth Imam)
His name and family:
197
Ali Ben Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben Abi Tallib.
His titles:
Zayn Al- Abideen, Sayeed Al- Sajideen, Al- Sajjad.
His nickname:
Abu Muhammad.
His father:
Al- Husain Ben Ali [p].
His mother:
Shahzenan Shahribanow.
His birthday:
Friday 15th Jamadi Al- Awal 36 A.H. or, 5th Sha’aban
38 A.H.
Place and time of birth:
Al- Mdinah Al- Munawrah, during the reign of Imam
Ali Ameer Al- Mo'meneen [p] his grandfather.
His age:
57 years. During the battle of (Al- Taff) he was23
years old.
The age of his Imam hood:
From the 10th of Muharam 61 A.H. lasting for 34 years
further.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
(Lekuli Ghmmin Hassabia Allah)
One of his wives:
Fattemah the mother of Abdullah, the daughter of
Imam Al- Hasan Al- Mujtaba.
His martyrdom:
Saturday or Sunday, 12th or 25th Muharam 95 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
The poison that was given to him by Al- Waleed Ben
Abdullmalik Ben Marwan Ben Al- Hakam according to
the command of the caliph Husham.
His Tomb:
Al- Baquia’a, Al- Medina Al- Munawrah close to his
uncle Al- Hasan Al- Mujtaba [p].
198
The Seventh Fortified (The Fifth Imam)
His name and family:
Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben Abi
Tallib [p].
His titles:
Baquir Elm Al- Nabi, Baquir Uloom Al-Nabieen AlBaquir.
His nickname:
Abu Jaffar.
His father:
Ali Al- Sajjad [p].
His mother:
Fattemah Bent Al- Imam Al- Hasan Al- Mujtaba.
His birthday:
Monday or Friday 3rd of Saffar 1st of Rajab 57 A.H.
Place and time of birth:
l- Mdinah Al- Munawrah; during the reign of Muawia’a
Ben Abi Suffian the first caliph from the Ummiah
Progeny.
His age:
57 years similar to his father's and grandfather's age.
Age of his Imam Hood:
From 25th of Muharam 94 or 95 A.H. and for 18 or 19
years further.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
(Al- Izzatu Li Allah Jame’an).
One of his wives:
Fattemah whose nickname was Um Farwah Bent AlQuasim Ben Muhammad Ben Abi Baker.
His martyrdom:
Monday, thu Al- Hejah, 114 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
Ibraheem Ben Al- Waleed, or Husham Ben Abdulmalik
during his reign poisoned him [p].
His Tomb:
199
Al- Baquia’a, Al- Medinah Al- Munawrah close to his
father [p] in the dome that encloses Al- Abbass,1 those
domes were demolished by the Wahabies (May Allah
destroy them.)
The Eighth Fortified (The Sixth Imam)
His name and family:
Jaffar Ben Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Al- Husain Ben
Ali Ben Abi Tallib [p].
His titles:
Al- Saadique, Al- Bar, Al- Ameen.
His nickname:
Abu Abdullah.
His father:
Muhammad Al- Baquir [p].
His mother:
Fattemah whose nickname is Um Farwah Bent AlQuasim Ben Muhammad Ben Abi Baker.
His birthday:
Monday or Friday dawn time on the 17 th of Rabeeaa
Al- Awal; some say he was born on the 1 st of Rajab 83
or 85 A.H.
Place and time of birth:
Al- Mdinah Al- Munawrah, during the reign of
Abdulmalik from the Umiah progeny.
His age:
65 years or 68 years.
Age of his Imam Hood:
From the 7th Thi Al- Hujah 114 A.H. lasting for 34
years.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Allahumma Anta Thiquati- Allah khaliqu kuli shai’a.
One of his wives:
Hameedah Al- Berberiah or Al- Meghribiah Bent
Sa’ead, U’mu Wallad, whose title was Al- Mussafat.
1
Al- Abbass: The Prophet's uncle, Translator.
200
His martyrdom:
The year 148 A.H.; i-e 765 A.D.
Cause of martyrdom:
The Abbassi caliph Al- Manssoor put poison for him in
the grape.
His Tomb:
Al- Baquia’a, Al- Mdinah Al- Munawrah, close to his
father, grandfather and uncle.
The Ninth Fortified (The Seventh Imam)
His name and family:
Musa Ben J’affar Ben Muhammad Ben Ali Ben AlHusain Ben Ali Ben Abi Tallib [p].
His titles:
Al-Kadhim, Al- Haleem, Al-Tahir, Al-Tuhr, Al-Abed
Al- Saleh, Bab Al- Hawaij.
His nickname:
Abu Ibraheem, abu Al- Hasan Al- Awal.
His father:
Jaffar Al- Sa’adique [p].
His mother:
Hameedah Al- Berberiah or Al- Meghribiah Bent
saead- Umu Wallad, whose title was Al- Mussafat.
His birthday:
Saturday or Sunday the 7th of Saffar 128 A.H.
Place & time of birth:
Al-Medinah Al-Munawrah, Al-Abuaa which is a
place between Mecca and Al- Medinah close to the
Juhfah. He was born during the reign of the Umiah
caliph Ibraheem.
His age:
55 years.
The age of his Imamhood:
From 25th of Shwal 148 A.H. lasting for 35 years.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Hassbiah Allah- kun Mena Allah Ala Hather.
One of his wives:
201
Taktum (Taherah) whose nickname was Umu AlBaneen.
His martyrdom:
On the 25th, of Rajab 183 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
The Abbassi Caliph Harrown Al- Rasheed poisoned
him after long years of imprisonment.
His tomb:
His Shrine is in Al- khadhimiyah on the western bank
of the Tigris river in Baghdad, the Capital of Iraq.
The Tenth Fortified (The Eighth Imam)
His name and family:
Ali Ben Musa Ben Jaffar Ben Muhammad Ben Ali
Ben Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben Abi Tallib [p].
His titles:
Al- Murtadha, Al- Redha, The Eighth Hijah.
His nickname:
Abu Al- Hasan.
His father:
Musa Al- Kadhim.
His mother:
Taktum (Taherah) whose nickname was Umu AlBaneen.
His birthday:
Friday 11th, Thi Al- Qu’adah, 148 A.H. some say it was
153 A.H.
Place and time of his birth:
Al- Medinah Al- Munawrah.
He was born during the reign of the Abbassi caliph
Al- Mansoor Al- Dawaniqui.
His age:
55 years or 52 or 51.
The age of his Imamhood:
From 25th Rajab 183 A.H. lasting for 21 years.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
202
Masha’a Allah La Quwatah Illa Bellah- Hasbiah Allah.
One of his wives:
Sabeekah Umu Walled whose nickname was Umu AlHasan.
His martyrdom:
Tuesday the 17th of Saffar or Friday 25th of Saffar,
Some say it was on the last day of Saffar, 203 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
Al- Mamoon the Abbassi caliph poisoned him.
His Tomb:
His shrine is in Mashhad, Khurasan, Iran.
The Eleventh Fortified (The Ninth Imam)
His name and family:
Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Musa Ben Jaffar Ben
Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben Abi
Tallib [p].
His titles:
Al- Taqui, Al- Jawad, Al- Muntajab, Al- Quan’aa.
His nickname:
Abu Jaffar Al-Thani, for his grandfather Al-Baquir was
nicknamed Abu Jaffar Al- Awal.
His father:
Ali Al- Redha [p].
His mother:
Sabeekah Umu Wallad whose nickname was Umu AlHasan.
His birthday:
He was born on the 19th of Ramadhan or the 10th of
Rajab 195 A.H.
Place & time of his birth:
Al- Medinah Al- Munawrah.
He was born during the reign of the Abbassi caliph
Al- Ammen.
His age:
25 years, 2 months and 18 days.
203
The age of his Imamhood:
From the last day of Saffar 203 A.H. lasting for 21
years.
He was appointed as an Imam when he was a young
child just like Yahia [p] who was appointed as a
prophet when he was a child.
And we granted him wisdom while yet a child.1
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Al- Muhaimen A'dhudi- Man kathurat Shahwatuh
Damat Hassaratuh.
One of his wives:
Semanah Al- Meghribiah.
His martyrdom:
On the 10th of Rajab or the last days of Thi Alquid’a
220 A.H.
Cause of his martyrdom:
One of his wives (namely Umu Al- Fadhil) according
to the command of the Abbasssi caliph Al- Muttasim
poisoned him.
His Tomb:
Al- Kadhimiyah shrine close to his grandfather AlKadhim in Baghdad the capital of Iraq.
The Twelfth Fortified (The Tenth Imam)
His name and family:
Ali Ben Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Musa Ben Jaffar
Ben Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben
Abi Tallib [p].
His titles:
Al- Naqui, Al- Hadi, Al- Nassih, Al- Ameen, AlNajeeb, Al- Murtadha, Al- Alim, Al- Faqueeh, AlMo'men.
His nickname:
1Surah
(Marium) verse 12.
204
Abu Al- Hasan.
His father:
Muhammad Al- Jawad [p].
His mother:
Semanah Al- Meghribiah (Umu Wallad)
His birthday:
Friday or Tuesday on the 5th Thi- Al- Hujah, or the 2nd
of Rajab 212 A.H.
Place & time of birth:
Al- Medinah Al- Munawrah in the village (Serb’a)
which Imam Al- Kadhim established.
He was born during the reign of Al- Mamoon, the
Abbassi caliph.
His age:
41 years and seven months.
The age of his Imamhood:
From the last day of Thi Al- Quaidah 220 A.H. lasting
for 33 years and 9 months.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Allahu Rabbi Wahuwa Issmati Min Khalqih-Hefdh AlUhood Min Akhlaqui Al- Ma`abood.
One of his wives:
Hadeeth, whose other names are, Salyl, Sawsan.
His martyrdom:
Monday the 26th of Jamadi Al-Thani, or the 3rd of Rajab
254 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
Al- Mu`ataz the Abbassi caliph poisoned him.
His Tomb:
Samarra, a small town in Iraq.
The Thirteenth Fortified (the Eleventh Imam)
His name and family:
Al- Hasan Ben Ali Ben Muhammad Ben Ali Ben
Musa Ben Jaffar Ben Muhammad Ben Ali Ben AlHusain Ben Ali Ben Abi Tallib [p].
205
His titles:
Al -Zeki, Al- Asskeri, Al- Taqui, Al- khaliss.
His nickname:
Abu Muhammad, also he is nicknamed Iben Al- Redha
like his father and grandfather [p].
His father:
Ali Al- Hadi [p].
His mother:
Hadeeth, whose other names are Salyl, Sawsan, Umu
Walled.
His birthday:
Friday or Monday on the 4th or 8th of Rabia’a Al- Thani
232 A.H.
Place & time of birth:
Al- Medinah Al-Munawrah, during the reign of the
Abbassi caliph Al- Wathique.
His age:
28 years.
The age of his Imamhood:
From the 26th Jamadi Al- Thani, or the 3rd of Rajab 254
A.H., lasting for 6 years.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Subhan Man Lahu Maqualeed Al- Samawat WaAlArdh, Inna Allaha Shaheed.
One of his wives:
Narjes.
His martyrdom:
Friday the 1st or 8th Rabia’a Al- Awal 260 A.H.
Cause of martyrdom:
The Abbassi caliph Al- Mu’ttaamed poisoned him.
His Tomb:
Samarra’, a small town in Iraq.
The Fourteenth Fortified (The Twelfth Imam)
His name and family:
206
MUHAMMAD Ben
Al-Hasan Ben Ali Ben
Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Musa Ben Jaffar Ben
Muhammad Ben Ali Ben Al- Husain Ben Ali Ben Abi
Tallib [p].
His titles:
Al- Mehdi, Al- Muntadher, Al- Hujah, Al- Thani
Ashar, Al- Qua`im, Baquiate Allah Al- Adham, Saheb
Al- Zaman.
His nickname:
Abu Al- Quasim.
His father:
Al- Hasan Al- Asskari [p].
His mother:
Narjes.
His birthday:
Friday night the 15th of Sha’aban 255 A.H.
Place & time of birth:
Samarr’a (a town in Iraq).
He was born during the reign of Al- Mua’attmed the
Abbassi caliph.
His age:
Only Allah knows.
The age of his Imamhood:
It started on Friday the 1st or the 8th of Rabia`a AlAwal 260 A.H. until Allah wills that he appears.
Embellishment of his stamp ring:
Al- Ilmu Enda Allah Wala Ya`lamu Al- Ghayb Illa
Allah Wa Inni Hijatu Allah.
His wives and sons:
He has wives, sons and a progeny of whom we know
nothing.
Only, Allah knows the date of his death.
He disappeared twice:
A-The Lesser disappearance which started in 260 A.H.
till 329, during which he had four deputies to
communicate the people.
207
B- The greater disappearance which started in 329 A.H.
till the day of his appearance during which (the
jurisprudents) who are qualified enough are his
deputies.
The narrations that are related by the gracious
Prophet [p] inform as that he [p] will appear to fill the
earth with justice and peace after it has been filled with
injustice and oppression. The grace of his absence in
his greater disappearance is similar to the existence of
the sun when veiled by the clouds. His existence is an
evidence for the earth and the sky. He is our master and
our Imam that we anticipate his appearance, Lord of the
present time and the future, the Imam that Allah left on
earth, May Allah fasten his appearance, making us
among his best adherents and followers; may Allah
give us the honor of martyrdom while serving him,
Amen O’ Lord of the universe.
(PRAYER)
O’ Our Lord! We request Thee to donate to us a
gracious state that will glorify Islam and Moslems;
whereas it will humiliate hypocrisy and its people; May
Thou make us this state among those who propagate for
Thy obedience, among those who lead the people for
Thy way; O’ Lord bestow on us the dignity both in this
life and in the hereafter.
O’ Our Lord! Pray Thee, be for Thy (Wali) AlHujatu Ibn Al- Hasan [p], in this hour as well as in
every hour; a guardian and a protector for him, till
Thou settle him in Thy land by Thy own will; making
him last long to enjoy his living in that land.
208
209
CHAPTER V
RESURRECTION
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the
Merciful
Chapter V
Resurrection Researches
68th Question:
what is death, and why do all people fear it?
*Death is the decease of life in the body when the
soul leaves it, and in spite that death looks an end and a
conclusion of man apparently, yet in reality it is a
210
window through which man over looks a new world.
The prophet [p] said:
(you are made to survive not to decease, rather ye are
transferred from an abode to another) 1
This new world and abode is filled with happiness
for the good and the (Walies) exclusively, mean while
it is full of misery to those who are unjust and wicked .
Imam Al-Husain [p] in Karbalaa addressed his
fellows and family saying:
(Be patient my gracious sons, for death is only a
bridge that takes you away from misery and poverty to
the wide paradises of eternal prosperity; which one of
you abhors to be transferred from a prison to a palace?
While to your enemies, death is similar to one who
transfers from a palace to a prison of torment; my
father related to me that the prophet [p] said:
This mundane world is a prison for the believer,
and a paradise for the unbeliever, and death is the
bridge that takes the former to their heaven and the
latter to their hell)2
If this mundane world is the niche of the
unbeliever’s aspirations having nothing beside it, so it
is quite natural that he will fear death, rather he would
tremble and shake horrified from it.
For some people, the fright from death is due to the
fact that they are loaded with sins and transgressions so
they have nothing to cherish them in the hereafter or,
make them happy, though they do believe in the
hereafter, thus death for them will be the end of
happiness and the beginning of misery.
(Say: If the future abode with Allah is specially for
you to the exclusion of the people, then invoke death
1Behar
Al- Anwar volume 6,page 249.
(Maani Al-Akhbar) page 289. chapter (the meaning of
death).
2
211
if you are truthful 94 And they will never invoke it on
account of what their hands have sent before and
Allah knows the unjust 95).1
The case is reversed to the believers when they
confront death, for they look forward to its arrival
because they know that it will take them to heaven and
paradise, and greater pleasures from Allah.
Imam Ali Ben Abi Tallib [p] said:
(By Allah; the son of Abi Tallib is more familiar
with death than a baby is familiar with his mother’s
breast)2
He said (May my soul be sacrificed for him when
Ibn Muljim (His killer) stroke him on the head by his
saber:
(I won by the Lord of Al-Kaabah)3
69th Question:
Everybody knows that Azraeel is the confiscator of
the souls, but the Holy Qur’an attributes this act to
Allah sometimes, others to Azraeel, others more to
sent angels. What is the reason for this?
* There is no problem about attributing the acts to
that who does them himself or to that who commanded
others to do them. A ministry may achieve a project by
means of one of its establishments; the latter-certainlywill achieve the project by means of its cadre and
laborers; the project may be attributed to the ministry
as being the summit of administrative supervision, or it
might be attributed to the establishment concerned for
its close concern about the project; else more the
1Surah
(the cow) verses 94-95.
Behar Al-Anwar volume 74 page 57.
3
(Ali Min Al-Mahed Ila Al-lahed) page 563.
2
212
project may be attributed to the cadre and laborers who
have done the job themselves.
Hence, the Holy Qur’an attributed confiscation of the
souls to Allah the Exalted, for He is the cause of all
causes; hence the (cause-effect) chain will end at Him.
In other cases the Qur’an attributes that act to
Azraeel the angel for he is specially entrusted from
Allah to confiscate the souls; else where the Book
attributes this to the angels who are sent by God to
fulfill this task.1
(Allah takes the souls at the time of their death)2say:
(the angel of death who is given charge of you shall
cause you to die , then to your Lord you shall be
brought back).3
(until when death comes to one of you , Our
messengers cause him to die and they are not remiss) 4
70th Question:
What is the evidence that proves that man’s faith in
the resurrection is natural?
* Anyone who traces the history of the former
nations and the present ones may realize the essence of
their belief in the resurrection and revival after death
nothing to say about the particularities of this belief.
The archeologists proved this through the remains
they discovered; they revealed that some nations used
to bury with their corpses their personal things thinking
that those things will serve them in the other world;
rather, some nations used to bury with their kings their
1
Refer to (Duroos Fi Al-Aquaidah Al-Islamiah) volume 3.
Muhammad.T.M.Al-Yazdi.
2Surah (the Companies) verse 42.
3Surah (The Adoration) verse 11.
4Surah (The Cattle) verse 61.
213
jokers so they might entertain those monarchs in the
other life. Some other nations used to bury alive their
mothers and fathers when they reach the age of forty,
believing that if ever man dies at this age he would be
more capable of doing the duties of that other world,
for-according to them- the age of forty is the best stage
during his life, in which his physical and mental powers
reach their best. 1
As long as the belief in the resurrection or doomsday
has been and still is part of the code of faiths and
interests of ancient and modern man, so we come to
know that belief in the resurrection arises from the
nature of man and his instinct, otherwise it would have
disappeared from his life, whereas we can see that this
belief still exists in man’s life up till today.
On the other hand, the court of our small conscience
asserts the existence of the court of the day of
judgment; for how can we accept the fact that our small
conscience court judges our deeds being bad or good,
without surrendering to the fact that the greatest court
of justice which is Allah’s does observe our world with
all of its millions of people and in those quarters we
recognize tears, laughs, cheers and sorrows.
71st Question:
What is the importance of (the belief in
resurrection) in man’s life? 2
For farther information refer to (Usool Al-Aqua’id Fi AlIslam) volume 3, page 37-43 Al-Lary.
2
This meaning emphasizes that, belief in the ressurection is
natural in man, at the same time it asserts the necessity and
importance of it to man.
1
214
* Resurrection, in fact, is the safety valve for
anybody who is concerned about his future aspiring a
peaceful happy life in this world and in the hereafter.
He whose basic interest in life is trying to satisfy his
lusts and answer his bohemian material tendencies, will
do his best to get to this result that serves his
substantial limited interests.
On the contrary the good, righteous, pious will do
their best to serve the others, for such an action will be
rewarded by Allah in the hereafter.
So why does man not exchange his rest for the rest
of the others in this world as long as his deed will be
rewarded by Allah?
Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it,
and whoever brings an evil deed, he shall be
recompensed only with the like of it.1
No doubt that man’s belief in the resurrection will
leave important and good impressions on him as an
individual, and on society as a whole; for this belief has
certain graces that provides everybody with peace,
potency, and resistance; such qualities are never
attained in the societies that are governed by regimes
who stick to mere material traditions and criteria.
Hence, belief in resurrection leaves a good influence
on man’s march, an influence that leads this march
through a right course shifting its direction to the
proper way.
72nd Question:
What is the evidence that proves that man has a
soul, which has its abstract existence beside the
substantial existence of the body?
1Surah
(The Cattle) verse 160.
215
* Those who believe that man has a soul in addition
to the body, depend on so many evidences some of
which are quite accurate and sophisticated, hence we
will survey the simple ones of them: 1
1-Anyone of us , now and then, may forget his body
and the pains which pricks it when he is mentally
engaged in an important affair (like an essential visit to
a friend).
Also, when man is lost into admiring a landscape, his
hearing sense would miss even the loud voices that
erupt close to the ears.
The reason for these cases is clear:
Man’s existence is not represented by his substantial
body alone, rather, in addition to the material existence
of the body, there is another existent which is
represented by the soul which is the center of our
sensations whereat our realization takes place.
2-The dreams which a sleeper may see may contain
events that might come true in reality in the same
minute details, descriptions and numbers that happened
in the vision. This phenomenon may not have a
material interpretation, unless we assume that there is
something none-material beside the physical body
which can forcast the future, namely it is the soul. The
realization of the body is restricted to the five senses
which can feel what takes place outside the body
actually; these senses can never realize the future. 2
1Refer
to (Our Philosophy) Martyr M.B.Al-Sadr; research of
realization. Also refer to (Usool Al-Aqu’aide Fi Al-Islam)
volume 3, page 66-83 Abed Al-Rasool Al-Larry.
2
In so may cases the dream apply to reality, most people have
special memories in this field; for more information refer to
(Usool Alaqua’ide Fe Al-Islam) volume 3, page 101. 102, AlLarry.
216
3-Our brain and our brain cells can not comprehend
something of a size that exceeds their size, like when
we realize the vision of a landscape whose space takes
tens of kilometers, without missing any fragment of it,
thus, our center of realization must be situated in a
place other than the eye so as to contain such a apace of
vision, this unseen spot of realization is none but our
soul.
What has been mentioned does not mean that we
have to cancel the importance of the role of the nervous
system of man with all of its brain cells and integral
parts; rather we emphasize its importance that
determines the realization of man; but its role is similar
to the role of an equipment or a tool that carries the
realization to the soul; just like the telephone set which
is a tool that transports the sonic waves from a place to
an other without realizing what these waves really are.
He who really realizes the meaning of these waves is
the person who use the telephone set.
*
*
*
In addition to the reasonable evidences mentioned
hereinbefore to assert the existence of the soul, there
are some narration evidences
that certify this
existence; hereunder are verses from the Holy Qur’an
in this respect:
It was said: Enter the garden. He said: O would that
my people had known* Of what on account of which
my Lord has forgiven me and made me of the honored
ones1 *
The fire; they shall be brought before it (every)
morning and evening and on the day when the hour
1Surah
(Ya Seen) verses 26, 27
217
shall come to pass: make Firon’s people enter the
severest chastisement.1
It is clear that the entrance of the believer to heaven
in the first verse, and the entrance of firon’s people to
hell in the second verse concerns their ethereal souls
and bodies in the world of the isthmus that is inbetween
this mundane world and the hereafter; for the day of
judgment is not due yet, and the corpses of the dead are
still inside our earth while their parts have turned into
dust.
73rd Question:
What do you know about the isthmus?
* Lingually the item (isthmus) means (inbetween
two things) or (a barrier between two things) 2
Idiomatically it means the world to which people are
transferred after death and before the hereafter, i.e it
is the world in between our earthly world and the world
of the hereafter.
All Moslems agreed to the fact that the isthmus is a
reality that nobody suspects, except some
unmentionable exceptions 3.Yet various sects of
Moslems do differ about Some details of this world.
The reason for their agreement about the isthmus is
the clear evidences that certify its existence, some of
which are the following gracious verses:
1
Surah (The Believer) verse 46.
differences are in the Arabic equivalent of this word
(Al-Barzakh). Translator.
3Tafser Neronah, V. 14, page 320, Sherazi- in Persian.
2These
218
And before them is a barrier until the day they are
raised.1
And reckon not those who are killed in Allah’s way as
dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided
sustenance from their Lord;2
The fire; they shall be brought before it (every)
morning and evening and on the day when the hour
shall come to pass: Make Firon’s people enter the
severest chastisement.3
Comparing the last two verses mentioned
hereinabove we realize that living in the isthmus dose
not concern the martyrs (who are a class of the
believers) exclusively, rather, the unbelievers too may
live in the isthmus like (Firon’s people). The difference
between their lives is that the life of the unbeliever is a
life of torment and agony, while the believer there lives
a happy life.
Other historical narrations give evidence about the
life in the isthmus; some of which are as follows:[When the Battle of Badr ended and the Moslem’s
enemies run away leaving their dead casualties in the
battle field; some of those dead were thrown in a well;
the prophet [p] came and stood near the well and saidaddressing those who were killed then and thrown in
the well:
You were bad neighbors to the Messenger of Allah
[p], you threw him away from his house and his town
then you gathered and fought him. I have found my
God’s promise true; have you found your god’s
promise true?
Omar said to him [p]:
Surah the Believers verse 100.
Surah (The familyof Imran) verse 169.
3
Surah (The Believer) verse 46.
1
2
219
O: Messenger of Allah, why should you address
dead dry corpses?
The prophet [p] said:
O Ibn Al-khattab, how is that; By Allah you do not
hear much better than they do especially that the angels
are about to chain them with iron shackles, and they
will do it the minute I turn my face away from them).1
There is another tale about Ameer Al-Momeneen [p],
when he passed on the back of his horse through the
ranks after the (Camel War) until he reached (Kaab
Ben Surah) who was the judge of Al-Basrah appointed
by Omar Ben Al-Khattab and he remained in his post
during the reing of Othman too; when troubles started
in Basrah, kaab hanged a Holy Book in his neck,
gathered his family and sons and went to fight Ameer
Al-Momeneen; he and his lot were all slaughtered;
Ameer Al-Momeneen stood at his corpse and said:Seat ka’ab Ben Surah.
The corpse was seated between tow corpses.Imam
Ali [p] said:O ka’ab Ben Surah: I have found my God’s promise
true, have you found your God’s promise true?
Then he said:- Lay down ka’ab.
The Imam [p] moved a little father and saw the
corpse of Tallhah Ben Abdullah, he stood close to and
said:Seat Tallhah
They seated him. He [p] addressed the corpse:
O, Tallhah, I have found my God’s promise true,
have you found your God’s promise true?
then he said:
Lay down Tallhah
1(Aquaid
Al-Sadooque) Al-Shaikh Al- Mufeed page 41,
Behar Al-Anwar volume 6, page 254.
220
One of the followers of the Imam said, O, Ameer AlMomneen why do you address two dead corpses who
do not hear you?
he said:
O, man, By Allah they heard my words the way the
dead of Badr who were in the well heard the word of
the Messenger of Allah [p]. 1
In the isthmus the bad are tormented and the good
are rewarded.
Ali Ben Al- Husain [p] said:
(The grave is either a garden from the gardens of
heaven, or a ditch from the ditches of hell).2
The pressure of the grave is one of the torments that are
inflicted to the bad in the isthmus.
The Messenger of Allah [p], while the corpse of
Sa`ad Ben Ma`ath was being buried, said:
(Your fellow creature who has been buried has been
pressured in his grave).3
Nobody ,who is meant to be pressured in his grave,
is exempted from this even if he is hot buried in the
soil. Imam Al- Ridha [p] was asked about anybody who
is hung, is he pressured the way a buried man is
pressured in his grave?
The Imam [p] said:
(Yes, Allah commands the air to pressure hi)4
Also, two angels may investigate man in his grave
asking him about the origins of his religion, if he was
an unbeliever he would not be able to answer so he
would be tormented, thus, these two angle are called
1(Aquaid
Al- Sadooque) p. 42, Behar Al- Anwar V. 6 page
255.
2(Noor Al- Thaqualain) volume 2, page 553.
3Ibn Al- Quaim Al- Jawziah page 56.
4(Al- Kaffi) volume 3 page 241.
221
(Munkar) and (Nakeer) (the connotation of these two
words in Arabic manifests carrying the bad news of
torment to the dead.
If the dead was a believer he would easily answer the
questions of the two angles, so they would promise him
of heaven as a reward thus they are called (Mubashir)
and (Basheer) (The connotation of these two words in
Arabic manifests carrying the good and happy news to
the dead.
As long as the soul in this mundane world was in
need to accompany its soil body that would enable it to
do its tasks; similarly it needs a( body) in the isthmus to
achieve the same tasks. Thus the soul will embody a
special guise that is called the (ethereal body)-which is
very similar to the body that engulfs the soul in the
world of visions; the body will maintain the same form
and guise it used to have in his life on earth; Imam AlSadiq [P] described this body saying:
(If ever you see (the ethereal body”, you will say it is
the same :body of the earthly life”) 1
From the narrations that reached us we infer that the
souls of the believers after their death occupy special
place that differs from the abode of the souls of the
unbelievers; the souls of the believers will reside in
(Wadi Al-Salam) in (Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf) 2, the souls of
the unbelievers will reside in the desert of (Barahoot) in
Yemen
Ali [P] said:
1
Usool Al-Deen. Abdulhussien Sharaf Aldeen Chapter 8, p.
234.
2
(Wadi Al-Salam) the cemetery of the (Shiites) in Al-Najaf
180 kms south west of Baghdad the Capital of Iraq. Translator.
222
No believer ever dies at any spot of the earth but
his soul is commanded to reside in (Wadi AlSalam),
it is really a piece of the gardens of Eden1
He [P] also said:
(The worst well in hell is Barahoot in which the
souls of the unbelievers reside) 2
74th Question:
what are the evidences that certify the resurrection
and authenticate that it is a necessity?
* We can infer resurrection may take place through
meditating nature around us and its transitions and
changes. Winter takes off the leaves of the trees leaving
them naked dry, so stagnancy and motionlessness
replace growth and dynamism turning them into
something very similar to a dreary graveyard where
everything suggests death, until spring with all of its
merriness and growth comes again to revive life,
motion and wormth back into the trees, thus that
cherish and flower again.
Be it possible to revive life and motion into the trees
and the stagnant ground by the potency of Allah and his
will, gracious be he, then why should some people
negate the possibility of the revival of life back to a
dead man whose corpse had turned into ashes and
dust?!
And we send down from the cloud water abounding in
good, then We Cause to grow thereby gardens and the
grain that is reaped (9) And the tall palm- trees
having spadices closely set one above another (10) A
1(Al-Kaffi)
v. 3, Kitab Al-Jana’az, chapter the souls of
believers volume 1, page 243.
2
Ibid volume 3.
223
sustenance for the servants, and We give life thereby
to a dead land, thus is the rising (11)1
And He it is Who originates the creation, then
reproduces it, and it is easy to Him.2
Furthermore, why do some people do not believe in
the day of judgment and the resurrection although the
Holy Qur’an do Survey some examples of reviving the
dead that took place in some ancient nations, in
addition to the dead people that Jesus [p] revived:
Or the like of him (Uzair) who passed by a town, and
it had fallen down upon its roofs; he said: when will
Allah give it life after its death? So Allah caused him
to die for a hundred years, then raised him to life. He
said: How long have you tarried? He said: I have
tarried a day, or a part of a day. Said He: Nay! You
have tarried a hundred years; then look at your food
and drink- years have not passed over it, and look at
your ass; and that We may make you a sign to men,
and look at the bones, how We set them together, then
clothed them with flesh; so when it became clear to
him, he said. I know that Allah has power overall
things.3
And bring the dead to life with Allah’s permission.4
Resurrection as a (Must) is necessitated by the
justice of Allah, for life daily witnesses various kinds
of pain, injustice and oppressions which end without
any chastisement for the oppressors. The oppressed- on
their part- are too weak to pay back their oppressors,
either because they lack the potency to do so, or
because the guilty oppressors can always escape the
law.
1
Surah (Qaf) verses 9, 10,11.
(The Romans) verse 27.
3
Surah (The Cow) verse 259.
4
Surah (The Family of Imran) verse 49.
2Surah
224
On the other hand; law and its legislations and
penalties fail in so many cases to cope with so many
crimes and violations both qualitatively and
qualitatively, the utmost penalty a criminal may get is
execution, which- in itself- does not equal tens of
thousands of the crimes of some evil criminals.
The wisdom of Allah necessitates that man should be
given a free will that will help him to attain perfection;
but this free will of man sometimes causes great
injustice leading man to confiscate the rights of the
others.
This result does not connotate that Allah the Exalted
is unjust; but it might connotate that Allah gave the
reins to the oppressor to practice his oppression the
way he likes without any deterrent from Him.
But if we shade- even- a rapid glance on all the
things that comprise the universe, starting from the
atom and ending with the galaxy we shall find
evidences for the justice and wisdom of Allah every
where; everything runs according to a law and a system
depending on justice and equity and putting everything
in its right place no more no less.
Here, we say, if everything is subject to the equity
and justice of Allah, so is it reasonable that man is
exempted from this grace without leading him to the
right way, which is very uncharacteristic of the equity
and justice of the exalted!
Then, there should be an appointed day in which
people are brought forth to behold their deeds :
(On that day men shall come forth in sundry bodies
that they may be shown their works 6 so, he who has
done an atom’s weight of good shall see it 7 And he
who has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it 8)1
The existence of such a day and such a court is asserted
1
Surah (The Shaking) verses 6, 7, 8
225
by assuming that Allah the exalted has bestowed on
man a potency and a will of choice that enable him to
make the good deeds or commit the evil ones)
(What! Shall We then make those who submit as the
guilty? What has happened to you? How do you
judge?)1
Or shall We make those who guard (against evil) like
the wicked 2)?Resurrection is the final stage of man’s
perfection, for man knows no peace and tranquility
from whence he is a semen until death forms the final
chapter of his earthly life; he searches all the time
chapter of his earthly life; he searches all the time about
something he misses, his thirst of research is never
extinguished by the pleasures of this mundane life, thus
his restlessness is never quietened, for he does not find
in those pleasures but a mirage in a desert, Which the
thirsty man deems to be water; 3
So there should be something else that extinguishes
the thirst of man giving him stability which has never
been attained even by the (Prophets) and the (Walies)
[p]; but it can be attained in the resurrection to the
hereafter; to this the gracious verse refers:
(O my people! This life of the world is only a
(passing) enjoyment, and surely the hereafter is the
abode to settle.)4
75th Question:
What is the nature of resurrection on doomsday? Is
it physical or spiritual?
Surah (The Pen) verses 35,36
2Surah (Suad) verse 28
3
This is a tacit reference to the 39. th verse of the Surah (The
light) from the Holy Qur’an. Translator.
1
Surah (The Believer) verse 39 .
4
226
* Revising the Qur’anic, Islamic and narrative texts
we conclude that the nature of the resurrection on
doomsday is both physical and spiritual, i-e man on the
day of judgment is resurrected by both dimensions,
material, and spiritual, unlike what some people
suggest that, resurrection is purely spiritual and unlike
what others suggest that it is purely physical; hereunder
is a survey for some of those texts.
The Exalted said:
From it we created you and into it We shall send you
back and from it will We raise you a second time.1
And the trumpet shall be blown, when lo! From their
graves they shall hasten on to their Lord.2
Ameer Al- Momeneen [p] said:
So when everything comes to its end, and the ages pass
away, and resurrection comes by; God will set them
(the people) out of the ditches of their graves, and out
of the nests of the birds, and out of the holes of wild
animals, and out of every abode of annihilation,
hurrying to fulfill His command, hasting to meet Him
like a herd of silent horses, or standing in rows that any
glance from Allah would not miss any of them;
standing thus they will hear anybody calling them, they
look submitting, poor, and humiliated.
There, whereat there is no trick that might help,
whereat there is no hope, whereat the hearts are bereft
of their hope and merriness; hearts are silent for fright;
and all the sounds turn into whispers)3
What we have proclaimed is manifested in the fact
that Allah the Exalted has prepared a reward for the
1Surah
(Ta Ha) verse 55.
2Surah (Ya Seen) verse 51.
3Nahj Al- Balaghah. Dr. Subhi Al- Salih page 108, 109.
227
good in the day of judgment, whereas he has prepared a
punishment for the transgressors.
Allah’s rewards and punishments are material, like
paradise with its pleasures and hell with its pains, and
moral, like the wrath of Allah on the unbelievers and
his mercy for the believers.
Allah has promised to the believing men and the
believing women gardens, beneath which rivers flow,
to abide in them, and goodly dwellings in gardens of
perpetual abode; and best of all is Allah’s goodly
pleasure- that is the grand achievement.1
Surely hell lies in wait (21) A place of resort for the
inordinate.2
Surely they Shall have no portion in the hereafter, and
Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look upon
them.3
So, to bless man or torture him in the hereafter both
materially and morally he ought to be resurrected in
both dimensions, physical and spiritual.
76th Question:
Man after his death turns to dust and ashes to
become part of the contents of the soil on which
plants nourish sometimes, thus when the plant
absorbs these elements they will become part of it, if
any man chances to eat this plant the elements that
came from the parts of the first dead will get into the
eater’s body, thus arises the problem of the (eater)
and the (eaten) which runs as follows:
1
Surah (Repentance) verse 72.
(The Great Event) verses 21, 22.
.Surah (The Family of Imran) verse 77 3
2Surah
228
If the first (dead) man was good and the second man
(the eater) was bad, so how would the parts that
moved from the first to the second be trailed by God?
Are they going to be tortured with the bad, or are
they exempted from torment and blessed by the grace
of the bliss that will befall the good? Else more, will
these parts be resurrected with the (eater) or with the
(eaten)?
* The center of human feeling and sensation is the
soul, the body is nothing more than a means to attain
them; on the other side, all the cells of the human body
change every now and then, though we do feel that our
personal integrity is still the same. This reveals that part
of our existence has never experienced any change or
shift; that part is nothing but our soul residing in the
body. Thus we have no right to renounce a crime we
had made when we were young on the pretext that the
cells of a young body have changed into the cells of an
old body.
Considering what we have presented, it becomes
clear that the bliss or torment that befall man on the
Day of judgment do not concern his body-regardless of
the fact that this body is constant or transitional; for
bliss or torment befall the soul which never
transcendent into an other soul.
Furthermore, a united spiritual and physical
resurrection does not necessitate the resurrection of the
same body cells that were buried after death. Rather it
is quite probable that a similar body to that of the
deceased will be resurrected with his soul; hence, the
same soul will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment
accompanied by a body similar to ours; which
represents the plea on which the Holy Qur'an relies in
its argument with those who deny the Day of
Judgment:
229
“Is not the One who created the heavens and the
earth able to create the like of these men? Yes indeed
He is able and He is the knowing creator of all and
every thing, abundant in variety” 1
77th Question:
Wat is our dogma in (The earthly revival)?
* The dogma of (the earthly revival) is part of the
ideology of shiism. The Shiite believe that Allah the
Exalted will revive some dead people after the
appearance of Imam (Al- Mehdi) (M); so Allah will
humiliate the perverts and reward the right.2 The Shiite
authenticated their dogma by the gracious verse:
And on the day when We will gather from every
nation a party from among those who rejected Our
communications, then they shall be formed into
groups.3
There is evidence in the verse that signifies (the
earthly revival), for the resurrection concerns a certain
party exclusively which is not the thing that happens in
the hereafter, for the resurrection in the hereafter is
general and comprehensive and does not exclude
anybody, as the Exalted said:
1
Surah Yasin verse 81.
2
Refer to (Aquaid Al- Imamiah) M.R. Al- Mudhaffar. (AlIlahiat) volume 2, page 287, J. Subhani.
3Surah (The Ant) verse 83.
230
And We will gather them and leave not any one of
them behind.1
Back to the first verse, the stylistic coherence
between the verse that succeeds2 it and the verse that
precedes3 it which describe doomsday, necessitates that
the meaning of resurrection in the verse mentioned
hereinabove- from Surah (The Ant)- signifies earthly
revival.
Although the gracious verse signifies the earthly
revival and resurrection of the vicious people
exclusively but we may infer that the good too might
revive, depending on the narration related by Imam AlSadique [p]:
The earthly revival is not a general state, rather it is a
special one; a state that concerns the stratum of highly
righteous believer or the stratum of highly wicked
unbelievers)4
The earthly revival provides a precious chance for
the believers to join the international reformative rise
which will be led by the twelfth Imam of the twelve
Apostolic Imams [p]; participating with him is
considered one of the greatest glories, for it settles the
right and demolishes the vice, as well as it is a chance
to revenge the wicked who were extremely polytheists
but were not punished before their death like the others
who were their like.
1Surah
(The Cave) verse 47.
And the word shall come to pass against them because they
were unjust, so they shall not speak. Surah (The Ant) verse 85.
3
And when the word shall come to pass against them, We
shall bring forth for them a creature from the earth that shall
wound them, because people did not believe in Our
communication. Surah (The Ant) verse 82.
4(Behar Al- Anwar) volume 53, About 200 narration are
related in the Sunni reference books.
2
231
This means that, the good end both on earth and in
heaven will befall the good pious people , exactly as
Allah has promised:
And the good end is for those who guard (against
evil).1
This- in itself- is enough to push the people forward
provoking them towards virtue, paving the way–
meanwhile- for the ethical values to play their role
getting into the hearts of the people; in addition to that,
they reduce the rate of perversity, fornication, and
atheism.
No place for suspecting the earthly revival remains
after what we have said and after the evidence which
have already introduced as well as the verses of the
Holy Qur’an which narrate the narratives of the ancient
nations. 2
Imam Al-Redha [P] relates about his grandfather the
gracious Prophet (Al-Mustafa) [p], when the Abbassi
Caliph Al-Ma’moon asked him about the earthly
revival; he answered:
It is right, and it has been in the ancient nations and
the Qur’an revealed it, and the Messenger of Allah
[P] said:
What will happen to this nation is quite similar to
what happened in the ancient nations.3
Surah (The Narrative) verse 83.
Like the narrative of (Uzair) who was revived after one
hundred years of his death, and reviving the dead by Jesus [and
the cases of regaining life after death that took place with Israel
people]. Refer to Surah (The Cow), verses 259, 243, 56. Surah
(The Food) verse 110, (The Cow) 67, 72, and 73.
3
Behar Al-Anwar volume 53, speech 45. for further
information refer to (Nimonah) v. 1, p. 164-259, (Makarim AlShirazi) v. 15 page 549-560. (Al-Ilahiat) v.2, p. 787. J. Subhani,
(Aqua’id Al-Imamiah) M.R. Al-Mudhaffar.
1
2
232
78th Question:
What are the conditions to attain happiness or
misery in the hereafter in the light of faith or
disbelief?
* The happiness or misery of man in the hereafter
are closely concerned either to his faith, or to his
disbelief in the creation of man, the resurrection,
reward, chastisement and the Prophets [p] and their
Divine missions.
Faith is nothing but an inner phenomenon stemming
from man’s knowledge of something, then his
inclination towards it; it is not achieved without
knowledge as well as there is no faith without
inclination, it is not enough that somebody would claim
belief in something without feeling inclined to it.
The Exalted said:
The dwellers of the desert say: We believe- say; You
do not believe but say, we submit; and faith has not
yet entered into your hearts.1
For, it is quite possible that man may know
something and become sure of it, yet he is not inclined
to it and his soul rejects it. The Exalted said:
And they denied them unjustly and proudly while
their soul had been convinced of them.2
Anybody who realizes the existence of Allah-for
example- yet his soul rejects this realization is called an
atheist; this name too is given to anybody who denies
the existence of Allah because of his personal
ignorance; atheism is disbelief, whether it is caused by
stubbornness and ungratefulness or ignorance.
1
Surah (The Chambers) verse 14.
Surah (The Ant) verse 14.
2
233
If inclination to something is an essential factor that
determines faith in it, act must go on with it, for it is
meaningless to like something without doing its
fundamental duties; rather salvation and happiness are
conditioned by faith and good deed:
I swear by TIME,* Most surely man is in loss*
Except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on
each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience*.1
Faith is always calling act, thus anybody whose act
decreases, his faith subsequently decreases, and
anybody who has no act has no faith, and anybody who
claims that faith is in the heart and has nothing to do
with act, he is but lying.
We do not exaggerate if we say; a good deed may
enforce faith, and a bad deed may enforce disbelief.
The Exalted said:
To Him do ascend the good words; and the good
deeds lift them up;2
Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because
they rejected the communications of Allah and used to
mock them.3
Faith in Allah in reality is an approach to Him, and
approaching Him means inspiring His abundance of
perfection, beauty, and superior qualities, so man
nourishes on them due to His closeness to the mercy
and grace of Allah attaining thus eternal, heavenly
happiness.
On the contrary , he who disobeys Allah getting far
from His being and His qualities will be deprived from
Surah (Time) verse 1, 2, and 3.
2
Surah (The Originator) verse 10.
3
Surah (The Romans) verse 10.
1
234
that happiness, for he chose to move away from the
fountain of abundance and peace.
Therefore, it is meaningless that the inventors and
the reformers should anticipate and expect a reward
from Allah if ever they are removed from Him and do
not have faith or belief in Him, and if their efforts and
innovations in this world are not dedicated to Him;
why, then, should they expect happiness in the
hereafter?!
Yes, a good deed may decrease the chastisement of
the unbeliever on Doomsday, qualifying him more to
accept justice and surrender to it in this life.1
79th Question:
Why does Allah punish his servants if He is in no
need of them? And why do the unbelievers and the
atheists immortalize in hell although their vicious
deeds were only temporary?
* Man naturally tends to rest, entertainment, and
pleasures, if ever he is left to his own he will delude
from the right way which Allah designed fro him by his
own choice; and in order that Allah leads the people to
His way He sent for them His Prophets promising the
people of heaven and threatening them by the torments
of hell, so as to provoke them to attain His reward and
avoid His chastisement, gaining, thus the anticipated
happiness.
Hence it becomes clear that the chastisement of
Allah to man is not meant for itself, for His mercy
preceded His wrath and vengeance; His punishment is a
method to reform man and do him good in the earthly
life and the hereafter, through his commitment to
Refer to (Duroos fi Al-Aquidah) Mohammad Taqui AlYazdi page 109-138.
1
235
Allah’s commandments and his avoidance of Allah’s
prohibitions. The Exalted said:
O you who believe! Answer (The call of) Allah and
His Apostle when he calls you to that which gives you
life.1
Concerning the other part of the question; the
unbelievers and the polytheists and the atheists are
immortalized into hell, for what they have done, as a
chastisement from Allah who never does anybody
injustice even the weight of an atom in earth and in
heaven.
So, he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall
see it* And he who has done an atom’s weight of evil
shall see it*.2
Whatever wicked or evil deed man commits in this
world no matter how limited it is, and no matter how
short time does it take, its effect might be so vicious
and ugly to the degree that its chastisement is made
unlimited, thus nothing equals it but immortality in
hell.
There is no wonder in this , for he who throws
himself from a height will have to bear the sequences
of what he has done for a much longer while than the
while it took him to fall down from that height, thus he
might spend the rest of his age retarded, or perhaps he
might die for his act.
Allah by means of His prophets has told His servants
of the subsequences of their deeds-on matter tiny or
immense, good or evil they are- promising to reward
the good and avenge the pervert.
Surah (The Spoils of War) verse 24.
Surah (The Shaking) verses 7, and 8.
1
2
236
Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it,
and whoever brings an evil deed, he shall be
recompensed only with the like of it.1
We conclude our answer saying that although Allah
is the Most Merciful, yet– at the same time- His
chastisement is severe, He is the Most Merciful when
mercy and forgiveness are required, and remorselessly
punishing when chastisement is required.
80th Question:
How does the Holy Qur’an picture the hereafter?
* The Holy Qur’an draws for us the destiny of earth;
earthquakes shake its quarters, what is inside it is
vomited outside, the seas boil, the mountains shake
violently until they are leveled with earth.
The sun sets in an eternal fall; the moon loses her
light, so is the light of the stars; the sky melts and
cracks like books that are closed for ever.
If the trumpet is blown, giving the leave to the Death
Angel to seize the souls, that mighty reaper will start
his harvest collecting the souls who will be haunted by
a horrifying terror and a terrible fear, so the bodies of
the people will tremble-except those believers
(momins) whom Allah chose- thus every creature on
earth deceases.
The trumpet is blown for the second time to heraled
the resurrection and the new revival; so people will
start the march of eternity; the quarters of the earth will
be lit by the light of God; people will huddle in a
universal assembly standing at the presence of the
Great Judge who will judge them by His libra of justice
that never misses. Thence human beings have no
Surah (The Cattle) verse 160.
1
237
escape, and nothing of this earthly life will serve their
purpose, and no good luck will do; only their good
deeds, good manners, and righteousness which they did
in their first life will stand to assist them in that Holy
Court.
Thence, all pleas will fail the people, for Lord of the
universe, the Just, Supreme, Wholepotence is the
Witness and the Judge… Allah, to fulfill His justice,
will call for testimony in His Court of Justice other
witnesses whose evidences can never be requited, thus
every prophet will testify for his people, and all the
senses and organs and evidences of their deeds will be
called to witness for their owners, in addition to this
earth which has been a silent witness watching what
people do, all these will say their words in the presence
of Great Judge, in addition to all that, the deeds of the
people will be incarnated for them on the day of
judgment, thus every spirit will find its history with all
of its good and evil deeds standing a live in front of it.
Even the angels who are ordered to calculate
whatever man does– be it tiny or immense- will stand
to give their testimony; thence, nobody will lose his
right- if ever he has such a right-; and every
transgressor will be denounced; then the people will
tread on a path that will take them to heaven, a path
which is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword
blade, (crossing over the inferno); thus they will pass
successively, every one with his deeds; some of them
will pass so fast like the blink of an eye; others will jog
like horses; others will cross the path creeping on four,
others will pass very carefully, others will cling to it
with great effort so the flames of the inferno will burn
their bodies to toast some of them saving others; others,
woe for others, will slip to fall down to the bottom of
inferno.
238
There is a strong connection between the path of
people in this earthly life with all of its calamities and
the narrow path of the hereafter; those who have been
good and done right in their mundane lives will run
over the narrow path of the hereafter light like
lightening, and vice versa, i. e the path of the earthly
life does not differ in its narrowness, from the path of
the hereafter; for striking to faith and commitment to
the legislation of the Divine laws is no an easy task.
In another image of the Day of Judgment, we find a
wall between hell and heaven, on top of it-which the
Holy Qur’an calls (Al-Araf)- a well chosen elite who
are better than the inhabitants of hell and those of
heaven, are situated. Those righteous people are
authorized to testify, mediate, command, and judge
among the people; the narrations related that those are
the prophets and Walies including the gracious Prophet
[p] and his progeny [P], those whom the Gracious Book
describes as:
And on the most elevated places there shall be men
who know all by their marks.1
In a side of that universal assembly, stands Ameer
Al-Mo’meneen [P] holding the brigade of praise on
which is written (The successful are the winners) and
moving by it to paradise followed by those successful
winners who are good; Ameer Al-Mo’meneen [P] leads
them to the pool of paradise- of which the gracious
prophet [p] has promised people- and he let them drink
from the Kauthar Water. 2
Thus everything reaches its end, and everybody goes
to his eternal abode which he deserves according to his
deeds, the believers have shining merry faces, thus they
are driven to the gardens of happiness in paradise, their
Surah (The Elevated Places) verse 46.
Kauthar Water: A river in paradise. Translator.
1
2
239
light among them; the unbelievers have gloomy long
faces, and they are driven to the inferno corronated by
shame and humiliation, so the flames of the inferno
toast their heads and faces, thus it will be their eternal
abode.
81st Question:
What do you know about the intercession? And do
why other sects no agree with us about it? And why do
other sects not agree with us about it?
* Lingually speaking, (intercession) in Arabic is
(Al-Shafa’ah) which means putting a strong individual
close to a weak one in order to help him. 1
All Moslems agreed that there is an intercession on
Doomsday, and that the Prophet [P] will be the
intercessor on the Day of Judgment relying on the two
verses:
And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be
well pleased.2
May be your Lord will raise you to a position of great
glory3.
By saying that the connotation of (giving) in the first
verse and the (position of great glory) in the second
verse, is none but intercession.
Intercession in our dogma4 means that the Prophet
[P] or the good Wali mediates to Allah to push away
1
This is a research in the lexical use of the item which can
never be covered thoroughly in this short while. Translator.
2Surah (The Early Hours) verse 5.
3Surah (The Israelites) verse 79
4
For further information refer to (Al-Ilahiat) volume, 2, page
835-855 (Mafaheem Al-Qur’an) volume 4, page 157-313.
240
the chastisement from the disobedients, bringing – on
the other hand- Allah’s reward to the good on
Doomsday.
Allah’s mercy, grace, and abundance dictate that He
forgives and paradons, so He made repentance and
intercession ways to get His grace. Allah’s mercy
preceeds His wrath, His chastisement aims for the
betterment of man, so why should not repentance and
intercession substitute punishment as long as they get
to the same result a chastisement may get.
Thus repentance and intercession will be windows of
hope for the transgressors and the good to reach
paradise and Allah’s pleasures.
Intercession may not take place only through certain
conditions.
Repentance too, may not take place only through
certain conditions, hereunder is a r’esum’e of these
conditions as summarized by Ameer Al-Mo’menen [P]
in six points:
Do you know what is (asking forgiveness)? (asking
forgiveness) is a rank for the elevated; it is a name
of six meaning; the first, repentance for the past; the
second, determination never to return back to that
past; the third, you must give all creatures their
rights so as to meet Allah clean with no debt; the
forth, you must do every religious duty you had
missed; the fifth, you must melt by means of sadness
your flesh which was fattened on prohibited taboos,
until the skin sticks to the bones, and new flesh
starts to grow between them; the sixth, you must
make your body taste the pains of obedience the
way you made it taste the sweetness of disobedience,
then and only then, you can say O, Allah! Forgive
me. 1
1
Nahj Al-Balaghah, wisdom 417.
241
Conditions for intercession are:
1-Allah’s permission for intercession:
who is he that can intercede with Him but by His
permission?1
2-The intercessor must give a right testimony on the
Day of Judgment:
And those whom they call upon besides Him have no
authority for intercession, but he who bears witness of
the truth and they know (him).2
3-The subject for intercession must have been faithful
to Allah in his belief, believing in His qualities, His
Prophets and His Books. The Prophet [P] said:
By the will of Allah, my intercession will include
anybody who died pure of any polytheism.3
4-The subject for intercession must not cheat.4
5-The subject for intercession must not be an antagonist
for the progeny of Muhammad [P]. 5
6-The subject for intercession must not deny and falsify
the prophet’s intercession [P]. 6
7-The subject for intercession must keep his prayers,
and feed the poor, and believe in the Day of Judgment;
without these, inferno will be his abode:
What has brought you into hell?* They shall say: We
were not of those who prayed;* And we used not to
feed the poor;* And we used to enter into vain
Surah (The Cow) verse 255.
Surah (The Embellishment) verse 86.
3
(Musnad Ahmad Ben Hanbel) page 426.
4
Ibid- page 72.
5
(Thawab Al-A’mal) Al-Sadooque page 251.
6
(Uyoon Akhbar Al-Redha) volume 2, page 62.
1
2
242
discourse with those who entered into vain discourses
* And we used to call the day of Judgment a lie; * Till
death overtook us * So the intercession of intercessors
shall not avail them. * 1
The Prophet [P] said:
Our intercession will not include anyone who makes
fun of prayer.2
According to what has been said hereinbefore,
intercession is a kind of mediation, thereby the prophet
or Wali intercedes with Allah to push away the
chastisement from the transgressors or to bring about
the reward for the obedient; but this mediation is not
similar to the mediations of some advocates who
defend criminals that deserve punishment, supporting
and encouraging them for their vice.
This intercession of the prophet means to better the
subject of it, for he would have to cling to the
conditions we have already mentioned to gain it; this
intercession itself is a betterment for its subject; like
what happens with the transgressor who intends to
repent and ask forgiveness for his transgression if ever
he makes up his mind to be worthy of forgiveness.
Intercession- unlike some misled people think- is not
a factor that deludes the perverts encouraging them to
disobey and suppress the others; rather it is a method
for deterrent and betterment not for corruption and
deterioration.
And if intercession by its conditions is accepted by
Allah, why should people like (Ibn Taymiah) and
(Muhammad Ben AbdulWahab) object about it,
denying that the others should seek intercession from
the Prophet by saying (O, intercessor with Allah!
1
Surah (the Clothed One) verses 42, 43, 44, 45, 56, 47, and
48.
2
(Behar Al-Anwar) volume 4, page 2.
243
Intercede for us with Allah)- their plea for objection is
what the Exalted said:
And that the mosques are Allah’s, therefore call not
upon any one with Allah. 1
They claim that demanding assistance and support
from any body other than Allah is prohibited by this
verse, for it is a sort of polytheism. Those ignorant
people miss the fact that the alphabet of life depends on
cooperation and alternate acts of kindness among the
various parties; otherwise life will tarry in its march
and its discipline will retard.
Yes, it is true that asking assistance from anybody
other than Allah is polytheism, on condition hat he
believes that the intercessor is a god who is free and
independent to pardon or punish. But if he believes that
the intercessor is only a way that leads to Allah, a
mediator who is quite helpless without Allah, thence
there will be no reason for hesitation, and it will be
meaningless to issue such arbitrary accusations against
those who seek the intercession of the prophets and
Walies.
If the inference of those people was true, Jacob the
Prophet [P] would have denounced his sons’ behavior
when they asked him to intercede with Allah to forgive
their sins, rather he accepted to be an intercessor
between them and Allah so as to forgive their sins:
They said: O our father ask forgiveness of our faults
for us, surely we were sinners * He said: I will ask for
you forgiveness from my Lord, surely He is the
forgiving, the Merciful* 2
1
2
Surah (The Jinn) verse 18.
Surah (Yusuf) verse 97, 98.
244
From what has been said erst, we come to know that
Allah prohibited the people from praying to their idols
or their artificial gods.
And they serve beside Allah what can neither harm
them nor profit them and they say: These are our
intercessor with Allah. Say: Do you (presume to)
inform Allah of what he knows not in the heavens and
the earth? Glory be to Him, and supremely exalted is
He above what they setup (with Him).1
Concerning the request of intercession or mediation
of the prophet, or the good Wali with Allah with the
authenticated belief that they are only servants of Allah
who can do nothing but through His will and potency;
such a request has never been prohibited by Allah,
rather He instigates people to it.
O you who believe! Be careful of ( your duty to) Allah
and seek means of nearness to Him.2
It has been related that Omar Ben Al-Khattab
narrated that, Adam [p] prayed to Allah by the name of
prophet Muhammad [p] saying:
O God, By the name of Muhammad Thee I ask to
forgive me.3
It is narrated, that a blind man asked the Prophet [P]
to teach him a prayer that will heal his blindness, the
Prophet ordered him to recite the following prayer:
O my Lord! I address and request Thee by the
prestige of Thy Prophet; O Muhammad by thou I
Surah (Yunus) verse 18.
2
Surah (The Food) verse 35.
3
(Wafa’a Al-Wafa’a) volume 3, page 1371, Al-Samhoodi.
1
245
address Allah my Lord; may Him answer my
request, O my Lord! Accept his intercession for me.1
Another narration told that, during the reign of the
caliph Othman Ben Affan, a man who had a request
came to the shrine of the Prophet, prayed there, and
recited this prayer:
O my Lord! I address and request Thee by the
prestige of our Prophet Muhammad [p], the
Prophet of mercy, O Muhammad! By thou I address
Thy Lord to answer my need.
After a short while his need was answered.2
*
*
*
Finally I address Allah the Exalted by the prestige of
His prophet, the Prophet of grace, and his progeny and
his Walies interceding them with Allah so that He
might forgive me and my parents and every believer
that enters my house as well as my teachers and my
brothers in behalf, to whom I am indebted; asking Him
to lead us the way of success and to better our future
life both on earth and in the hereafter, He is to answer
every prayer.
I bid page 1372.
(Wafa’a Al-Wafa’a) volume 3, page 1331, Al-Samhoodi.
1
2
246
*
*
*
I have finished writing this book– by the grace of Allahon the morn of the 26th of Jamadi Al-Awal in 1418 A.H.,
which applies to the 29th of august 1997 A.D. and all praise
is due to Allah who guided us to this; and we would not
have found the way had it not been that Allah had guided us.
The Islamic Republic of IranHOLY QUM
SADOQUE AL-SA’ADY
Index of References
******************
1-
The Holy Qur’an
2345678910.11
12131415161718-
Nahj Al- Balaghah
Al- Ilahiat
Mefaheem Al- Qur’an
Al- Milal wa Al- Nihal
Beest Pasukh (in Persian)
Khuda Wa Emam (in
Persian)
Pursishhai Peeramoon
Nibuwat (in Persian)
Droos fe Usool Al- Den
Pursishha wa Pasukhha
(in Persian)
Khuda Chegonah
Beshnaseem
Bahth Hawl Al- Welaiah
Our Philosophy
Bahth Hawl Al- Mehdi
Al- Madrasah AlIslamiah
Al- Mursal, Al- Rasool,
Al- Resalah
Usool Al- Aquaid fe AlIslam
Aquaid Al- Imamiah
Jaffar Subhani
Jaffar Subhani
Jaffar Subhani
Dar Rah Haque pub. Hous
Dar Rah Haque pub. Hous
Dar Rah Haque pub. Hous
Dar Rah Haque pub. Hous
Jaffar Subhani Makarim
Sherazi
Makarim Sherazi
Martyr Saeed Al- Sadr
Martyr Saeed Al- Sadr
Martyr Saeed Al- Sadr
Martyr Saeed Al- Sadr
Martyr Saeed Al- Sadr
M. A. Al- Larry
Muhammad R. AlMudhaffar
19- Al- Barzakh
Al- Baquiri
20- Tacamul Ijtemmai’ Ensan Muttahari (in Persian)
21- Droos fe Al- Qur’an
Muhsin Quiraati
22- Bedayet Al- Ilahiah
Muhsin
23- Mafateeh Al- Jenan
Abbass Al- Qummi
24- Resa`il Islamiah
25- Sharel Albad Alhadiashar Al- Fadhil Al- Mequdad
26- Moojez Uloom Al- Qur’an Dr. Dawod Al- Attar
248
27282930-
The Social Contract
Sharh Aqaid Al- Sadooqu
Ali Mena Al- Mahd Ila
Allahd
Usool Al- Deen
31-
Al- Muraja`at
323334353637-
Al- Ghadeer
Wasa`el Al- Shiite
Behar Al- Anwar
Al- Kaffi
Saffenat Al- Behar
Al- Lumaa`
Al- Ibanah
Ithbat Al- Hudat
Ghayat Al- Maram
38394041424344454647484950515253-
Jean Jacques Rousseu
Al- Shaikh Al- MUfeed
M. K. Al- Quazweeni
Absul Husain Sharaf AlDeen
Absul Husain Sharaf AlDeen
Al- Ameeni
Al- Hur Al- Aameli
Al- Mejlesi
Al- Kulaini
Abbass Al- Qummi
Abu Al- Hasan Al- Ash`ari
Abu Al- Hasan Al- Ash`ari
M. Alhur Al- Ameli
(Hashim Al- Huaini Al-
Bahrani)
Yanabee`u Al- Muadah
S. I. Al- Quandoozi
Al- Manaquib
Ibn Shehr Ashoob.
Al- Imamah wa Al- Siasah Ibn Qutaibah
Al- Mustadrak
Al- Hakim Al- Neisaboori
Musnad Ahmed Ben
Ahmed Ben Hanbel
Hanbel
Saheeh Al- Bukhari
M. I. Al- Bukhari
Saheeh Moslim
M. H. Al- Qushairi
Thawab Al- Amal
Al- Shikh Al- Sadooque
Sunan Al- Termithi
Al- Termithi
Sunan Al- Nesa`i
Al- Nesa`i
Da`irat Maa`if Al- Quarn Fareed Wajdee
Al- Eshreen
Tareekh Al- Tabbari
M. J. Al- Tabbari
Tareekh Al- Khamees
H. M. Al- Diyarbakri
249
5455565758-
Al- Seerah Al- Naboyah
Al- Munjed
Al- Munjed Al- Abjadi
Maquaees Al- Lughah
Lisan Al- Arab
5960-
Al- Mufradaat
Wafaa` Al- Waffaa`
Tafseer Nemoonah
Duroos fe Al- Aquidah
Al- Islamiah
Maa`rif Al- Qur'an
Al- Idiologyah AlMuquaranah
Tafseer Al- Meezan
Al- Tawheed
Al- Amal
Ilal Al- Sharaia`
Kemal Al- Deen wa
Itmam
Tafseer Mujamaa` AlBayan
Tafseer Noor AlThaquaiain
Tafseer Al- Menar
Al- Tafseer Al- Kabeer
61626364656667686970717273-
*
Ibn Husham
Dar. Al- Mashrequ Beirut
Dar. Al- Mashrequ Beirut
Ibn Faris
Ibn Mandhoor AlAfreequi
Al- Ragheb Al- Assfahani
Al- Samhoodi
Mikarem Sheerazi
Mesbah Al- Yazdi
Mesbah Al- Yazdi
Mesbah Al- Yazdi
Al- Tabatabai
Al- Sheikh Al- Sadooque
Al- Sheikh Al- Sadooque
Al- Sheikh Al- Sadooque
Al- Sheikh Al- Sadooque
Al- Tebbrissi
Al- Hwaizawi
M. K. Redha
Al- Fakher Al- Razi.
*
*
Translator’s Reference
*******************
250
The Holy Qur’an (in English) Transtated by M. H.
Shakir, Ansariyan Publications Islamic Republic of Iran.
2Al- Mawrid. Muneer Al- Balabakki.
1-
CONTENTS
**********
Page
Dedication
5
6
9
10
14
79
119
170
217
254
Prelude
Introduction of the author
Translator’s introduction
Chapter I (Unithiesm)
Chapter II (Justice)
Chapter III (Prophethood)
Chapter IV (Imamhood)
Chapter V (Resurrection)
Index of references.
251